Thread by @KatyTurNBC

Coming up:
Why lawmakers welcome gridlock. @RepKenBuck explains. #americanswamp

In the last Congress more than 13,000 bills were introduced and only 500 got passed. Why? #americanswamp

One reason: committee chair members decide what gets brought up and even when bills make it out of committee, majority leaders can refuse to bring them to the floor. A few years ago Mitch McConnell unapologetciakky called himself the grim reaper. Majority does not rule.

Another reason: there are no expert staffers in commuters anymore. So bills are often written by lobbysists not informed lawmakers. #americanswamp

So how do lawmakers become party leaders? They raise A LOT money for the party. Which means a lot of the time they’re more worried about their donors than their committee members or constituents per @RepKenBuck who says it doesn’t pay to be an independent thinker. #americanswamp

Another consequence per Buck is that many lawmakers end up welcoming gridlock because gridlock means they don’t anger special interest. #americanswamp

It wasn’t always this way. Experts point to one man who almost singlehandedly ushered in the partisan swamp we live in now. Spoiler alert: It’s Newt! #americanswamp

@newtgingrich changed the game by harnessing the power of C Span. You read that right. We explain now #americanswamp

@newtgingrich made it personal. To oust dems in the 1990s and return the house to GOP rule he circulated a memo to fellow republicans suggesting they use words like traitor, corrupt, cheat and more in their campaigns against dems. #americanswamp

It was also his idea to get rid of non partisan expert committees staffers. #americanswamp

You can read all about this in @SteveKornacki’s AWESOME book The Red and The Blue.

We started with the Gateway Tunnel in NY/NJ. Now @jacobsoboroff is in Ohio/Kentucky on the Brent Spence bridge which is a fender bender away from Carmageddon #americanswamp

Side note: @jacobsoboroff wants to sit on a 3,000 dollar toilet.

Coming up:
What’s at stake?
Catastrophe.
#americanswamp

To call our infrastructure that of a third world country’s is insulting to third world countries per @RepPeterDeFazio

Defazio wants a 1.5 cent increase on the gas tax per gallon. That’s it. He says that would go a long way to fix our infrastructure. But both dems and republicans are afraid of doing it #americanswamp

The last time it was raised was 1993.

Back in May there was a glimmer of hope for a big infrastructure deal. Dems and Trump agreed on a two trillion dollar deal. Then three weeks later, Trump pulled out citing the investigations into obstruction of justice and Pelosi accusing him of participating in a cover up.

I recently asked @SpeakerPelosi if she regretted accusing Trump of a criminal coverup right before a meeting for a deal on infrastructure. She said no and that she believes he just didn’t have the money. #americanswamp

Going going back back to Cali Cali ... for a light at the end of the tunnel on infrastructure #americanswamp

@MayorOfLA took us underneath Wilshire Blvd for a tour of work on the LA Subway. Yes LA Subway. It exists. #americanswamp

What’s amazing is that LA voters voted on a permanent sales tax to fund transportation projects. They were sick of waiting around for the federal govt and also sick of sitting on the 405. #americanswamp

@MayorOfLA says LA can do it because of the large tax base. Small cities don’t have that. They need the feds. #americanswamp

Also Teddy cameo!

In the words of @jacobsoboroff at the end of the day we didn’t find a happy ending on infrastructure but we did shed a light on why and how Congress isn’t working. We hope you’ll use that knowledge to help fix it with your vote. Thanks for watching #americanswamp!