Except for some final votes the U.S. Senate still needs to take, the work of the 113th Congress (2013-14) has come to an end. And we're pretty confident that the reaction to the news — from the public at large, as well as longtime observers — is this: "Goodbye, and don't let the door hit you on the way out." According to Gallup, Congress' approval rating this year averaged just 15%, one point above last year's record-low average.
As for productivity, only 203 bills have been signed into public law so far during the past two years — down from the 112th Congress' previous record low of 283. (Of course, some conservatives celebrate this number, because they believe Congress should prevent bad bills from becoming law.)
More from NBC News:
Senate finally approves surgeon general nominee
Not enough evidence to prosecute CIA operatives
Go time: Jeb Bush begins to make his move
Even the easy, low-hanging fruit that this Congress passed (the recent spending bill, the VA hospital reforms) turned out to be harder than expected. And remember the government shutdown from Oct. 2013? Well, that happened under the 113th Congress' watch.