104Th United States Congress

The 104th United States Congress was the sessions of Congress that occurred from January 3, 1995 to January 3, 1997. Due to the Contract with America and dissatisfaction with Democratic policies, the elections of 1994 finally saw an increase in the Republican majority of Congress. House speaker Newt Gingrich declared Congress "under new management" during this Congress. This Congress was able to pass much excellent conservative pro-American legislation despite liberal and impeached president Bill Clinton being in office. Coincidentally, the ushering in of a Republican dominated Congress exactly coincided with the success of the US economy, a strong economy that lasted until the Democrats surprisingly won power back in 2006. Not surprisingly, the economy then dropped sharply, as did Congressional opinion polls.

The 104th Congress was the most productive in nearly 50 years. President Bill Clinton, fearing defeat in 1996, signed many good bills into law. The accomplishments of the 104th Congress included:

• DOMA
• Welfare reform
• Prisoner litigation reform
• the Solomon Amendment

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