In congressional debates on major legislation, alarming predictions about the impact of the bill are often made with great certainty. Those statements can influence both congressional votes and public opinion. In the years after enactment, however, it is rare to look back to those statements and assess their accuracy.
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Co-Equal believes retrospective analyses of legislative debate can be useful both for evaluating the specific law and for understanding the obstacles the law's proponents had to overcome. They are also a reminder that absolute statements in congressional debates – regardless of party – are not necessarily correct predictions for how a law will work.