Report: Congress on pace to be least productive since World War II

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(CBS News) The partisan gridlock in this year's Congress is no joke: The 112th session -- which includes 2011 and 2012 -- is on pace to be the least productive congressional session since World War II, USA Today reports.

So far, Congress has passed into law just 151 bills during this session -- 90 in 2011 and 61 in 2012. The only other year since 1947 in which Congress failed to pass at least 125 bills was 1995, USA Today reports after reviewing congressional records. This Congress is even set to beat the notorious "do nothing" Congress of 1948.

The gridlock may be disappointing, but it is not surprising. It was largely predicted after Republicans took control of the House in the 2010 election with the Tea Party directive to halt the Democratic agenda. With Republicans in control of the House and Democrats still in charge of the Senate -- and compromise out of fashion -- the prospect of getting much done was bleak.

Some conservatives may prefer the gridlock over the sort of productivity seen in the 111th Congress. In the 2009-2010 session, Democrats had control of both chambers, as well as a Democratic president to help move along their agenda.

That Congress passed 383 bills into law, including the Affordable Care Act, Wall Street reform, the $787 billion stimulus package, the first-time home buyer tax credit, "cash for clunkers," a crackdown on credit card companies, student loan reform, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, tobacco reform and food safety reform. The Senate also confirmed two Supreme Court Justices.

Of course, Democrats and Republicans blame each other for the gridlock in this Congress. Doug Heye, a spokesman for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, reminded USA Today that the GOP-led House has passed over 30 economic measures that have died in the Senate. President Obama and Democrats, meanwhile, blame Republicans.

While they haven't passed many bills so far, this Congress could make up for it after the November elections by handling a series of critical issues, including the expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts as well as the the $1.2 trillion in "sequester" cuts Congress would like to avoid.

[cleo829]

i think if the G.O.P congress got out of the way this would a better country there would be more jobs all they think of is the rich on how to save them frome paying a fair tax instead of the middel class and jobs and any woman that vots for the G.O.P is nuts

[mikesfilms]

Teapublicans' brains have room only for Tax Cuts for the Romney-like Millionaires or no Dice.

[RNPRN]

The republicans have thrown the American people under the bus with their partison inaction just because they dislike Obama. Old white boys from the south!

[RNPRN]

I say link their days off, their pension and benefits to production as in the private sector. They would have a negative balance!

[Bulldawg47]

well it doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure this one out. the republicans are to blame, they are so busy just wanting to get rid of obama they fight every thing he tries just to keep him from getting credit for doing good things for the country. they dont care about the united states, just their future wealth. they were and esp..(crybaby John A. Boehner) willing to let our countrys credit rating go down the toilet just to fight wih obama. you think if boehner, romney, bush, ryan, mccain - any of them were running this country that we would have had so many of our military come home, or that bin laden would be dead? or the big automakers would have been saved? and the jobs along with them? i think not. give credit where credit is due. everyone is taling about obama spending money (such as helping out big auto makers) but look where they are now! and if they all closed down that would have been a big hit for the counry. nonone can make everyone happy, but at least ith obama he is not just trying to make the super wealthy happy like romney is. congress needs to go! where i work if you dont do your job and you are not helping your employer progress you get fired, fire congress! why are they getting paid and getting all these benefits? they are not working for it thats for sure! and roger rabbitt you are exactly right the republicans will fight tooth and nail to make sure obama doesnt get anything passed even if its harmful to the country.and whats crazy is that alot of romney supporters are for him and they dont know why, just because obama is black or because he doesnt choose the same religion they do, wake up people romney tells everyone he donated 10 million to charity... you know what charity hes speaking of? the mormon church. im not against mormons but its not a chariy either, just a way for him to buy votes and claim it on his taxes. why didnt he give it to cancer research? or homeless people? childrens hospitals? people look into him very well before you have any misguided thoughts that he cares for you or this country! obama 2012

[audemus]

The obstructionist republicans are chiefly to blame for this "do-nothing" congress....this coming election those Americans who haven't been bamboozled by all the "facts and figures" coming from the right wingnuts can send a loud, clear and undeniable message to these corrupt lackeys for the super-rich...."Get out, and don't come back!!"

It would be the height of foolishness to give more power to politicians that have already been corrupted by it.

[netjunkie1]

They changed rules that govern filibuster rules and now have the congress hostage.
Billy Jack goes to Washington.....SEE IT!
It's a film ahead of its' time...

Tom Laughlin was threatened by a congressman that if he released the film, he would be broken....

Since this movie, all he's been able to do is appearances...There were 4 attempts at another Billy Jack.

[audemus]

Yes....that movie has some very spooky similarities with what's going on in Washington these days, way too many Goliaths and too few Davids.

[TimeToEvolve]

Thanks Republicons for standing in the way of all progress after your corporate whipping boy George Bushoccio decimated the American economy. It's not wonder we are still almost in the same boat as when the criminal jerk left in 2009.

[HolyVoice]

This is why government jobs are so appealing, you can get paid for not working.

For Congress, most are already millionaires so they don't need to work. But they get the perks, per diem, high pay, and special govenment medical benefits.

I worked with Government agencies for more than a decade, and really it takes getting used to the incompetence. You end up doing the work for them, and they don't really care about quality or results. But they'll never go bankrupt, even though they are often late in paying--sometimes beyond 90 days.

[TimeToEvolve]

If you have ever worked for a large corporation you know that they define the term wasteful. Generally they have a few extremely rich folks at the top and all they want is to have lowly paid, ignorant and uneducated workers to do their every bidding. I speak from experience that I would not wish working at a giant corporation on my worst enemy.

[HolyVoice]

I've worked for Fortune 100 company.

Today, Senior management uses "management by I-phone" because they are no where to be found. The company has been hemorrhaging money for two years, mostly from really bad decision making. They are very risk averse, as can be expected with a very large corporation, and they hide much of losses involved with bad management decisions.

I'm so glad we aren't talking the financial industry in my case. People might get panicked.

[netjunkie1]

Billy Jack goes to Washington.
SEE IT.
Way ahead of its' time.
Too bad Tom has had a tough time since.

[netjunkie1]

Does anyone know why?
POLITICAL BLACKLISTING EXISTS.
TOM LAUGHLIN WAS THREATENED THAT IF HE RELEASED THIS FILM, HE WOULD BE BROKEN.
THERE HAS BEEN 4 ATTEMPTS AT LEAST IN A CONTINUING BILLY JACK SERIES, BUT AT EVERY TURN, MR. LAUGHLIN WAS STOPPED.
WHO WOULD DO SUCH A THING?
WALL ST. AND GOP THAT'S WHO.

[jntlw]

I'm not a big Obama fan, but the tea party GOP are 95% responsible for obstructing everything in an effort to make Obama fail and thus the lowest approval rating for Congress ever. This is high treason to obstruct with the specific intent to make a sitting President fail. If Obama were something horrible for America, I would say yes, but he is no worse, perhaps slightly better, than the previous administration and the GOP passed everything for the Bush administration. Our country is so doomed to self destruct.

[seabass6251]

What did the Democrat Congress do with Bush? Come on...

[sjc_1]

The Republicans approved almost everything Bush wanted. Heck, he even had Joe Lieberman kissing his behind the second term.