Surprised? Current U.S. Congress Will Likely Go Down in History as Most Unproductive Since 1940s

US Vice-President Joe Biden(L), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell(2nd) stand near as US Speaker of the House John Boehner(3rd) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid(R) share a few words as US Senator Daniel K. Inouye,(D-HI), Lies in State with a flag draped casked on the floor of the US Capitol Rotunda December 20, 2012, in Washington, DC. Credit: AFP/Getty Images

U.S. Congress isn't exactly known for its efficiency, but the current Congress has been so unproductive during its tenure that it will likely go down in history as the most unproductive in almost a lifetime.

The Huffington Posts' Amanda Terkel reports that current Congress has passed only 219 bills so far this session. And with just a week left in 2012, it will almost certainly win the uncovered distinction.

The 104th Congress (1995-1996) currently holds the ignominious distinction of being the least productive session of Congress, according to the U.S. House Clerk's Office, which has records going back to 1947. Just 333 bills became law during that two-year period, meaning the 112th Congress needs to send nearly 100 more bills to Obama's desk in the next few days if it wants to avoid going down in history — an unlikely prospect, considering that both chambers are squarely focused on averting the "fiscal cliff" before the new year.

The news comes on the same day that leaders in Congress failed to strike a meaningful deal to avert the looming "fiscal cliff." President Barack Obama on Friday said he was "modestly optimistic" that leaders would come together and agree on a plan. Maybe he shouldn't be.

Are you surprised at all?