Punishing their own but passing few laws, a Congress in chaos leaves much to do in 2024

By LISA MASCARO
AP Congressional Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — This Congress started with showy bluster, a bitter 15-round, multi-day spectacle to elect a House speaker who vowed to “never quit,” and then did just that. Lawmakers went on to punish their own colleagues with censures and expulsion, launch an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and barely keep federal offices from shuttering. So far, it’s among the most do-nothing sessions of Congress in recent times. Next year is expected to be more of the same. That’s worrying ahead of a presidential election year and as wars rage in Ukraine and the Middle East. One scholar said the U.S. needs a functioning Congress as “the place” where Americans go to work out their differences.