Electing a House speaker, a Republican who made good on his pledge to “never quit,” this Congress began with ostentatious boastery and ended with a tumultuous 15-round, multi-day spectacle.
In addition to removing the Republican speaker from office, House members punished their own colleagues with censures and expulsions, initiated an impeachment investigation into President Joe Biden, and were hardly capable of carrying out the most fundamental responsibilities of government by preventing the closure of federal offices.
Although the initial year of the 118th Congress was momentous due to the bewildering anarchy emanating from the Republican side of the Capitol, the upcoming year is expected to bring about further developments along these lines. It is among the most ineffectual congressional sessions in recent history, as only 27 legislation and resolutions were signed into law, excluding a few board appointments.
North Carolina Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry, who donned a bow tie and presided over the chamber during the turmoil, remarked, “This fall has been an exceptionally actively stupid political environment.” McHenry emerged as a voice of reason while serving as the interim House speaker amidst the upheaval.
Although Congress is generally regarded unfavorably by the American people, as the branch of government closest to the people, it remains the primary forum upon which the United States sometimes relies more than the presidency or the courts to resolve national issues and challenges.
With a turbulent presidential election year approaching and hot wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East, the necessity for a functioning Congress—what one scholar refers to as “the place” where everything occurs—becomes even more apparent.
