The 112th Congress convened for the first time on Jan. 3, marking the beginning of a Republican majority in the House of Representatives and a Democrat-controlled Senate. This is the first Congress in which the House and the Senate have had opposing majorities since the 107th Congress.
Healthcare took a staggering lead on the Congressional Conversation Index (CCI) in the month of January, with over 480 constituents on average writing, emailing and calling their representatives. This was most likely in response to the proposed repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that has spurred heated debate. Technology placed second, with an average of 98 constituent contacts, likely in response to President Obama’s heavy push for tech innovation in his State of the Union speech. Abortion / Women’s Issues was the third most-discussed issue with an average of 44 contacts.
Rounding out the top ten issues were (4) Budget, (5) General Government Issues, (6) Tax, (7) Immigration, (8) Defense, (9) Environment and (10) Social Security. The top ten topics have shifted around a bit since December’s report, with the start of the new session. Full CCI data is available below.
