Amendment Activity Under Reid and McConnell: A Comparison

On average, senators proposed fewer amendments on the Senate floor (and received fewer recorded votes) during Mitch McConnell’s, R-Ky., time as majority leader than when Harry Reid, D-Nev., managed the institution. A side-by-side comparison of the two leaders’ records demonstrates that Republicans fared worse, on average, in the majority than Democrats fared when they controlled the Senate. Surprisingly, the data also show that Republicans proposed more amendments (and received more recorded votes) when they were in the minority and Reid was majority leader than they have thus far under McConnell in the majority.