Thread by @RepAdamSchiff

Senate Republicans blocked the creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6 insurrection, despite the fact that a majority of Senators — and a majority of Americans — support it.

How? Two words: The filibuster.

THREAD:

The filibuster is an arcane Senate rule requiring 60 votes instead of a simple majority to end debate on a piece of legislation and bring it to a vote.

And while the filibuster has a long history, it's not written in the Constitution.

Here's why we should end it:

The filibuster has a shameful legacy:

In the 1960s, segregationists used it to block civil rights legislation, including anti-lynching laws.

And today, Republicans are using it block progress on everything from preventing gun violence to protecting voting rights, and more.

Simply put, America is at a tipping point.

It’s not tenable for the will of the majority of the voters to be continually thwarted by an archaic rule.

We need to end the filibuster so we can protect and strengthen our democracy.

So we can make progress — and make it lasting.

Eliminating the filibuster won't mean the end of minority views.

That's what our system of checks and balances is for.

But a filibuster that has frozen our ability to pass overwhelmingly popular reforms isn’t a healthy check and balance –

It’s a roadblock to progress.

If we end the filibuster, we can strengthen voting rights, pass universal background checks, raise the minimum wage, and more.

We can protect our democracy, and we can make progress on the urgent issues Americans elected us to address.

Let's get it done. End the filibuster.