act of Congress | Idiomator

Meaning: (literally,US politics)Astatuteenacted by theUnited States Congress.; (idiomatic,US,chieflycolloquial)Anauthorizationthat isextremelydifficulttoobtain, especially in atimelyfashion.Does it take anact of Congressjust to get a stop sign on a corner?2000, Nevada Barr,Liberty Falling, page79:Should Frederick stick around — and apparently it would take anact of Congressto get him out of the ICU — he might take up where Molly had brutally left off.2003, E. Lynn Harris,A Love of My Own, page54:Since it seemed like getting a glass of wine was going to require anact of Congress, I quickly agreed.2008, Bill White with Robert Gandt,Intrepid: The Epic Story of America's Most Legendary Warship, page273:Another problem was bureaucratic: the transfer of the ship required, literally, anact 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.

Examples:

EN: - Yeah, an act of Congress.
ES: Te has alistado, ¿eh?
EN: Presented by act of Congress."
ES: Aprobada por ley del Congreso".
EN: - Not to one word. I'm gonna make Eddie Hall give you a break if it takes an act of Congress.
ES: Eddie te dará una oportunidad aunque deba obligarlo el Congreso.
EN: - by special act of Congress.
ES: - por un acta especial del Congreso.
EN: "An act of Congress to set aside..."
ES: - Este acta del Congreso número...
EN: And he wasn't a 90-day act of Congress like you.
ES: Él no estuvo ocultándose 90 días, como tú, por una Ley del Congreso.
EN: Oh, I'm afraid that would take an act of Congress.
ES: Eso requeriría un decreto del congreso.
EN: You are now a gentleman by act of Congress.
ES: Eres un caballero aprobado por el Congreso.
EN: It will probably take an act of Congress to get me back into this family.
ES: Hará falta una ley del Congreso para hacerme volver a esta familia.
EN: By act of Congress.
ES: Por decreto del Congreso.
EN: The prison grapevine hammered out the news that a Federal Bureau of Prisons had been created by an act of Congress.
ES: La radio macuto de la prisión dio la noticia de que el Congreso había aprobado una ley para un Departamento de Prisiones.
EN: - only by an act of Congress.
ES: - Sólo lo soy por una ley del congreso.
EN: Sir, pursuant to an act of Congress, you have been promoted to the rank of General of the Army.
ES: Sr, 'Por decreto del Congreso... ha sido ascendido a general del ejército.
EN: Just an act of Congress.
ES: Sólo un acta del congreso.
EN: Built in 1941 through an act of Congress,... ..the Pentagon is virtually a city in itself.
ES: Construido en 1941 por ley del Congreso, el Pentágono es una ciudad en sí misma.

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