The 119th Congress ends with a whimper, not a bang

WASHINGTON (CN) — As the House of Representatives recessed weeks ahead of schedule and lawmakers departed Washington likely for the last time before the midterm elections, Speaker Mike Johnson touted what he framed as the “extraordinary record of success” of the 119th Congress.But despite bold claims that this legislative session, which began with the second Trump administration, was one of the most productive in U.S. history, lawmakers passed fewer laws and handed over broad authority to the White House.It’s a complicated legacy for a Congress that has already achieved record-low approval ratings, and one Republicans hoping to retain control of both chambers in November will need to address amid a rising cost of living and escalating foreign entanglements.In the lead-up to the midterm election, Johnson and congressional Republicans have repeatedly claimed lawmakers in the 119th Congress passed the most legislation in 80 years and that this current session was the second-most productive of all time. The top House Republican has said that his chamber approved more than 900 pieces of legislation, though most of those measures have not cleared the Senate.Speaking to reporters last week, Johnson blamed Senate Democrats for the holdup, saying the House had “done its job” and without the upper chamber’s support he and his colleagues were “spinning our wheels.”Though Republican leaders have hyped the productivity of this Congress, the numbers don’t bear out that claim. According to congressional bill data, the 119th session passed 1,000 pieces of legislation — 938 originating in the House and just 62 starting in the Senate. The 118th Congress, which coincided with the latter half of President Joe Biden’s term and was split along party lines, passed 995 pieces of legislation. The 117th Congress approved even more legislation, with a total of 1,127.And, as Johnson pointed out last week, roughly 700 of the measures passed in the House remain trapped in the Senate, where Republicans currently need Democratic support to move most legislation.The 119th Congress also isn’t the most productive in the last 80 years as some have claimed. A Snopes review found that the 93rd Congress under the Nixon administration approved more than 1,600 pieces of legislation.Congressional Republicans have settled on their marquee legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as they finalize their midterm pitch. Johnson has repeatedly thumped the sweeping bill — which GOP lawmakers now refer to as the Working Families Tax Cut — as the largest tax cut in U.S. history for working class and middle-income families. House Republicans have also pointed to the measure’s authorization for “Trump Accounts,” government-backed investment accounts for children born before the end of the president’s second term.But thanks in part to the political makeup of the Senate, Republicans have also stumbled on some of their long-promised policy goals. Congress has so far failed to pass the Save America Act, Trump’s voter ID legislation that would require voters to display proof of citizenship at the polls and would effectively end mail-in voting.The House has passed the Save America Act, but it’s long been a dead letter in the Senate. Johnson suggested the bill could make its way into language attached to a third budget reconciliation measure — a process Republicans leveraged twice during the 119th Congress to get around Democratic political opposition. That reconciliation package, however, never materialized.This session of Congress was also marred by government shutdowns, spurred on mainly by Democrats revolting against the GOP policy agenda. The 119th session saw the longest shutdown in U.S. history, stretching through the fall of 2025 after lawmakers failed to reach a deal to extend expiring healthcare subsidies inked under the Obama-era Affordable Care Act.That shutdown, during which millions of Americans on federal nutrition assistance temporarily lost benefits, only ended after Republicans assured a handful of Democrats they would hold a vote on the ACA subsidies.Congress also grappled with another partial government shutdown earlier this year, after Democrats refused to back a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security after federal immigration agents shot and killed two American citizens during the Trump administration crackdown on Minneapolis.Waning authorityBeyond the political wrangling of the 119th Congress, lawmakers in the Republican majority also oversaw a massive swing in government power away from the legislature and towards President Donald Trump.Despite his self-characterization as a “jealous guardian” of Congress’ constitutional authority, Johnson himself repeatedly refused to affirm his branch’s power over federal agencies, warmaking and other functions of government amid aggressive executive action from the Trump administration.After the White House early last year moved to shutter government agencies, such as the Education Department and now-defunct U.S. Agency for International Development, that had been established by act of Congress, the House speaker told reporters concern about executive overreach was a “gross overreaction” and that he would “vigorously defend” the legislature’s authority. Johnson at the time framed the USAID shutdown as the Trump administration “putting a pause” on the international development agency while it evaluated its priorities. The agency remains shuttered.Senate Majority Leader John Thune concurred, telling Courthouse News at the time he thought the White House had the right to “review funding” for a congressionally established agency.Congress has also been largely mum about the president’s $600 million construction project that demolished the East Wing of the White House in favor of a 90,000 square foot ballroom — a move critics argue should not have gone ahead without approval from lawmakers. Republican leaders have said the new ballroom is a security necessity, especially following an attempted shooting at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but have made few overtures toward putting a congressional stamp on the project.Roughly $1 billion in security funding for the East Wing site was cut out of a budget reconciliation bill over the summer. The Supreme Court ruled in August that ballroom construction could continue, overturning a lower court order that had halted it. The justices, however, did not rule on the legality of the project.And the 119th Congress has largely glossed over its power to declare war, allowing the Trump administration to sidestep legal limits on unilateral use of military force in its war on Iran.After the White House began striking Tehran in March, Johnson said he thought Congress should give the administration latitude to pursue its military objectives, namely preventing the Iranian regime from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Though the War Powers Resolution only allows a president to use military force without congressional approval for a period of 60 days, the Trump administration has continued striking Iranian targets.And months later, long past the 60-day deadline for a declaration of war, Republican leadership has continued to defer to the president.“We had to make sure that the largest state sponsor of terrorism does not have a nuclear weapon,” Johnson told reporters last week. “We removed that threat, and now we’re in the process of winding it down.”Members of Congress have approved several nonbinding resolutions demanding the Trump administration cease military action against Iran, as recently as last week.The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial transit route for oil and natural gas from the Gulf States, remains mostly closed to naval traffic amid an Iranian blockade. Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have also threatened shipments in the Red Sea, potentially bottlenecking shipping routes even further.The Iran conflict has also spiked living costs domestically, driving the national average gas price up to nearly $4.50 a gallon. Rising diesel prices have also affected transit costs for U.S. goods, including groceries.As voters prepare to head to the polls in November, Republicans have promised they are working “around the clock” to meet those issues. And while the 119th Congress gaveled out for the last time, Johnson insisted that Republican policies were still working.“Our candidates are addressing that, and they’re again reminding the American people of the extraordinary record of success that we have done,” he told reporters. “The combination of those policies is having the desired effect.”Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads