Despite a government shutdown and a seemingly impenetrable partisan divide, the 113th Congress will not go down as the least productive in the history of America. The outgoing Congress enacted 296 laws over the last two years, which was 13 more laws than the previous Congress enacted in 2011-12.
But the 113th only avoided claiming the ignominious title thanks to a flurry of last-minute legislation. In the one month following the midterm elections, Congress enacted 111 laws — or nearly 38 percent of its total output, according to Pew.
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