On the recordSeptember 22, 2022
we have a 50-50 Senate, with 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats. Vice President Harris provides the Democrats with our majority. The House of Representatives has a very slim Democratic majority: currently, 221 to 212, with 2 vacancies. When the 117th Congress began, I think most Americans were doubtful that we would be able to pass legislation to help them, their families, their communities, and our Nation. I am happy to report that, despite the odds, the 117th Congress has been a historically productive Congress. This is not a statement I make lightly, nor did I predict this many legislative accomplishments when we began the 117th Congress in January of 2021. I knew America's doubts, but I also shared their fervent hope that Congress would somehow find a way to beat the odds. And we have, sending numerous major bills to President Biden to be signed into law. Some of our accomplishments have been genuinely bipartisan, especially the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the so-called CHIPS and Science bill. That is gratifying because I believe that Congress, especially the Senate, is at its best when it works in a bipartisan fashion. Some of our accomplishments have been solely Democratic victories; notably, the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act. I regret that we were unable to convince our Republican colleagues to join us on those bills because they advanced public policies and enjoyed broad bipartisan support among the American people.…





