The Threat of a Lame-Duck Congress

Genevieve Wood / September 04, 2016

What is a lame-duck Congress? Well, it refers to the weeks following a November election when lawmakers who either lost their seats or who are retiring from office return to Washington and continue to cast votes until the new Congress arrives. This is a bad practice for a fairly obvious reason—lawmakers no longer accountable to voters often feel no longer bound to represent them.