Kara Sears
The 116th United States Congress, which lasted from 2019 to 2021, was one of the least productive in legislative history. More than 40% of the bills passed by the 116th Congress became law during the final two months of its two-year term. Among the most significant legislation passed by the 116th Congress were four major bills and several minor ones responding to the coronavirus pandemic, a major conservation and public-lands law, a free trade agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and a measure to reform the governance of Olympic sports to protect young athletes from abuse.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Bills Passed | 344 |
| Number of Bills Passed in the Final Two Months | 151 |
| Percentage of Bills Passed in the Final Two Months | 44% |
| Number of Bills Sent to President Trump's Desk | 353 |
| Number of Vetoes by President Trump | 10 |
| Number of Major Bills Passed in Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic | 4 |
| Other Significant Legislation | Conservation and public-lands law; a free trade agreement between the US, Canada and Mexico; a measure to reform the governance of Olympic sports |
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What You'll Learn
Bills passed: 151 of 344 laws
The 116th US Congress (2019-2020) was one of the least productive in recent history, with only four of the past 24 Congresses passing fewer laws. The 116th Congress passed 151 of 344 laws (44%) in the final two months of its two-year term, the highest share of lame-duck legislation since the 93rd Congress of 1973-74.
The low level of productivity can be attributed to conflicts between the Democratic-majority House and the Republican-run Senate, as well as the long-term trend of bills growing in length and the use of the senatorial filibuster, which requires a 60-vote supermajority for controversial measures.
Among the significant legislation passed by the 116th Congress were four major bills and several minor ones responding to the coronavirus pandemic, a major conservation and public lands law, a free trade agreement between the US, Canada, and Mexico (replacing NAFTA), and a measure to reform the governance of Olympic sports to protect young athletes from abuse.
The 116th Congress sent 353 bills to President Donald Trump's desk, of which he vetoed 10, with all but one of those vetoes upheld or not challenged.
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Low legislative productivity
The 116th Congress was one of the least productive legislative sessions in the past five decades. Of the 24 Congresses analysed by the Pew Research Center, only four passed fewer laws than the 116th.
Several factors contributed to the low legislative productivity of the 116th Congress. Firstly, there were conflicts between the Democratic-majority House and the Republican-run Senate, as well as tensions between Congress and then-President Trump. The 116th Congress also faced significant distractions, including an impeachment, the coronavirus pandemic, a contentious election, and its aftermath.
Another factor was the senatorial filibuster, which requires a 60-vote supermajority for all but the least controversial measures to move forward. Additionally, there is a long-term trend of bills growing in length as their numbers decrease. For example, the 84th Congress of 1955-56 enacted over 1,000 public laws, averaging fewer than two pages each, while the 115th Congress of 2017-18 passed 442 laws, averaging nearly 18 pages each.
Furthermore, Congress has increasingly resorted to passing "omnibus" or "consolidated" bills, which bundle multiple smaller and unrelated bills into one package. This practice can contribute to the perception of low legislative productivity, as the number of individual bills passed may not accurately reflect the complexity and scope of the consolidated legislation.
Despite the low overall legislative output, the 116th Congress did pass some significant legislation. This included four major bills and several minor ones responding to the coronavirus pandemic, a major conservation and public lands law, a free trade agreement between the US, Canada, and Mexico (replacing NAFTA), and a measure to protect young athletes from abuse in Olympic sports governance.
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$900 billion economic relief bill
The 116th US Congress (2019-2020) was one of the least productive in recent history, with only four of the past 24 Congresses passing fewer laws. However, the 116th Congress did pass some significant legislation, including a $900 billion economic relief bill.
This economic relief package was passed in the final two months of the 116th Congress's two-year term, during a lame-duck session. It was one of 151 bills (44% of the total) passed during this period, the highest share of lame-duck legislation since the 93rd Congress of 1973-1974.
The $900 billion relief bill was the subject of a months-long congressional standoff leading up to Election Day. It was part of a larger response to the coronavirus pandemic, which also included three other major bills and several minor ones.
The low legislative productivity of the 116th Congress may be attributed to conflicts between the Democratic-majority House and the Republican-run Senate, as well as the long-term trend of bills growing in length and complexity. The 116th Congress also faced unique challenges, including an impeachment, a pandemic, and a contentious election.
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Conservation and public lands law
The 116th US Congress of 2019-2020 was one of the least productive in the past five decades. Despite this, one of the significant laws passed was a major conservation and public lands law. This was one of four major bills passed, alongside several minor bills.
The 116th Congress sent 353 bills to President Trump's desk, of which 10 were vetoed. The conservation and public lands law was passed in the final two months of Congress, alongside a $900 billion economic relief bill.
The low level of productivity of the 116th Congress has been attributed to conflicts between the Democratic-majority House and the Republican-run Senate. Another factor was the senatorial filibuster, which meant that all but the least controversial measures required a 60-vote supermajority to pass.
The 116th Congress also passed a free trade agreement between the US, Canada, and Mexico, which replaced NAFTA.
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Free trade agreement
The 116th US Congress, which sat from 2019 to 2020, passed relatively few laws during its two-year term. However, one of the most significant pieces of legislation it did pass was a free trade agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, which replaced NAFTA.
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was an existing trade agreement between the US, Canada, and Mexico that had been in place since 1994. While NAFTA had successfully increased trade and investment between the three countries, there were aspects of the agreement that were considered outdated or unfair. For example, NAFTA did not adequately protect intellectual property rights, and it allowed companies to circumvent rules of origin requirements by outsourcing production to other countries.
The new free trade agreement passed by the 116th Congress addressed many of these issues. It included stronger labour provisions, such as requiring Mexico to reform its labour laws to better protect workers' rights, and it updated rules of origin requirements to incentivize more production in North America. The agreement also included a new chapter on digital trade, which committed the countries to prohibiting data localisation requirements and forced technology transfers.
Passing this free trade agreement was a significant achievement of the 116th Congress, particularly given the divided government at the time, with a Democratic-majority House and a Republican-run Senate. The agreement demonstrated a rare area of bipartisan agreement and provided a boost to economic growth and competitiveness in North America.
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Frequently asked questions
The first law passed by the 116th United States Congress was a $900 billion economic relief bill.
The 116th Congress was one of the least productive in recent history, with only four Congresses out of 24 passing fewer laws. However, they did pass several significant pieces of legislation, including four major bills and several minor ones responding to the coronavirus pandemic, a major conservation and public lands law, a free trade agreement between the US, Canada and Mexico, and a measure to reform the governance of Olympic sports to protect young athletes from abuse.
The 116th Congress passed 151 of 344 bills, with 44% of these being passed in the final two months of its two-year term.
