Gideon Resnick

Good morning.

It's Tuesday, December 23rd.

I'm Gideon Resnick in for Shamita Basu.

This is Apple News Today.

On today's show, a closer look at children in ICE custody, why you might see a surprise tariff fee on some of your holiday gift orders, and a few helpful tips to keep that TSA line moving this week.

But first, Congress left for the holidays last week, winding down a year that has been among the least productive in modern history.

That's according to a tally of enacted legislation.

The longest government shutdown we've ever seen did not yield a resolution on expiring health care subsidies, with millions of Americans poised to face higher premiums next year.

And a record number of lawmakers are deciding not to run for reelection, including 11 senators and 44 members of the House.

NPR recently examined the factors that led Congress to this point.

Barbara Sprunt covers Congress for NPR.

She spoke with more than a dozen former House members representing both parties about how the legislative branch has, in their words, forsaken core responsibilities like the power of the purse, declaring war, and oversight of the executive branch.

One former member, Democrat Jim Cooper, put it pretty bluntly to NPR by saying that, quote, Congress is in a coma.

The people that Sprunt spoke to also painted a picture of an institution that has had trouble for years.

And there are structural things at play that have made an impact.

For example, back when Newt Gingrich became the Republican Speaker of the House in 1985, he instituted shorter congressional work weeks so that members could spend more time at home in their districts, in part to fundraise more.

Sprunt told us that has contributed to a cultural change on the Hill.

Some former members also told her that there is a consolidation of power in party leadership that makes some of the job of legislating on committees a lot less enticing.

In the face of all this, some former members told Sprunt that they advise potential candidates to run for state office.

Yet others said it's critical to have more people who are serious about making positive change run for national office.