Meaning of act of Congress | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A statute enacted by the United States Congress.
   US, literally
2. An authorization that is extremely difficult to obtain, especially in a timely fashion.
   US, colloquial, idiomatic

Examples

“Does it take an act of Congress just to get a stop sign on a corner?”

“Should Frederick stick around — and apparently it would take an act of Congress to get him out of the ICU — he might take up where Molly had brutally left off.”

“Since it seemed like getting a glass of wine was going to require an act of Congress, I quickly agreed.”

“Another problem was bureaucratic: the transfer of the ship required, literally, an act of Congress. It was an agonizing process that ground along for twenty-six months, through the tenures of three secretaries of the navy, two presidents, and two mayors of New York.”

CEFR level