Congress has taken their annual summer recess until Sept. 8, which gives time to review their accomplishments — or lack thereof.
Granted, Congressional approval ratings haven’t been above 50 percent since January 2007 according to the Pew Research Center — Congress could only muster a 22 percent approval rating at the end of March — but despising the legislature is an easy target.
Accusations of gridlock or a “do-nothing Congress” remain common, but that’s more a result of ideology than a level-headed review.
As CBS News noted, Congress actually has a few accomplishments this year: “They revised and extended the Patriot Act, gave the president fast-track authority on a major trade deal, passed a measure to give themselves a say in the Iran nuclear deal, and permanently fixed a problem in the way Medicare pays doctors.”
A productive year, yes, but the benefits of such work vary in estimation.
Upon their return, Congress will have to confront a cybersecurity bill they delayed in favor of a squabble over Planned Parenthood funding. A transportation bill to address infrastructure repair will be waiting, along with a bill over sanctuary cities, cities that don’t cooperate with the federal government on immigration enforcement, and possible battles over the budget and the debt ceiling could lead to another government shutdown. Packing the schedule even tighter will be a battle over the Iran nuclear deal.
Congressional coverage will be scant for the next month, but take comfort that the 2016 election will fill that void to the point of exhaustion.
Once the break ends, plenty of vitriol will be directed across the aisle between Republicans and Democrats, just as the Constitution intended.
