How many laws has the 119th congress passed?
The data that powered this visual provided by GoPo teaching legend, Thalia Serino, Social Studies Department Chair, Floyd E. Kellam High School - Go Knights!
Critical Analysis
Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, your big brain, the information provided and any links below:
The United States Congress is numbered in sequential order every two years, beginning with the 1st Congress in 1789, all the way to our current 119th Congress. According to the data from the visual above how many laws were made under the 95th Congress (1977-1979)?
Each two-year Congress is typically divided into two one-year legislative sessions (the First Session and the Second Session). According to the data from the visual above how many laws were made under the 119th Congress (2025-2027)?
Under the 20th Amendment to the Constitution (1933), a new Congress officially begins on January 3 of odd-numbered years. Identify one trend in the amount of laws passed by Congress between 1973 and now.
The 119th Congress bar is marked "so far." Why is it misleading to compare it directly to the full two-year totals of earlier Congresses?
At the G.O.P.’s Dallas Midterm Election Convention Speaker of the House Mike Johnson boasted that the 119th Congress was “the most productive in 80 years.” Based on the visual above, how would you evaluate Speaker Johnson’s claim?
Look at the 106th Congress (1999–2000). Clinton was a Democrat and Republicans controlled Congress, yet about 600 laws passed. Now look at the 111th (2009–10), when Democrats controlled both branches and fewer than 400 passed. What does this suggest about the claim that divided government causes gridlock?
The decline in laws passed by Congress is steady across both Democratic and Republican presidents. What changes in the parties, elections, or media since the 1970s might explain a trend that crosses party lines?
Today Congress often packs hundreds of provisions into a few giant omnibus bills instead of passing many small ones. How could this practice make Congress look less productive than it really is?
When Congress passes fewer laws, policy still gets made somewhere. Which other institutions might fill the gap, such as the president through executive orders, federal agencies, or the courts?
In Federalist 51, Madison argued that ambition must be made to counteract ambition. Is a Congress that passes very few laws a sign that the constitutional system is broken, or proof that its checks and balances are working exactly as intended? Defend your answer with evidence from the chart.
Write and Discuss
Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.
Act on your Learning
Contact your Congressional representative with your explanation of whether they should make more or less laws:
Get Creative
Make a nickname for the 119th Congress based on their productivity.
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Thank You
The data that powered this visual provided by GoPo teaching legend, Thalia Serino, Social Studies Department Chair, Floyd E. Kellam High School - Go Knights!
