american tax collector

Chapter 391 A Crucial Vote

After Grace finished speaking, both the people in the stadium and the audience watching fell silent.

At the same time, everyone's eyes were constantly scanning the room to see if any senator had raised his hand.

After a long 2 minutes, everyone suddenly saw a slender arm raised on the far right side of the seats.

"It was Senator Yuna, she voted yes!"

"Haha, ok Senator Yuna, we love you!"

"Long live Senator Yuna..."

"..."

When they saw the person who raised his hand, the supporters of the bill were excited, and the morale of the senators who supported the bill on the spot was also greatly boosted.

But before they could continue to get excited, something even more exciting happened. They saw another arm raised in the middle area of ​​the seats. The owner of this arm was none other than Mandel.

"Nice, usual nice!"

"Finally I can get through this damn speech program!"

"We have finally come to the truly decisive voting phase!"

At the State Administration of Taxation, when they saw this result, the senior officials were also happy.

Although David, who was sitting next to him, did not show much expression, he was secretly relieved in his heart.

Although he had reached an agreement with the two senators this morning, people's minds are unpredictable and no one knows whether they will turn against him at the last minute.

If they had turned against us, we would have been in trouble, but fortunately the result is still good now.

"What's wrong, David? Are you still worried about something?"

Seeing that David had no expression, Donald quickly put away his happy expression and asked.

"I believe you have learned something about what happened last night. Although I have dealt with it, the time was too short. I don't know if there will be any unexpected changes..."

David keenly noticed from the images on the screen that some of the congressmen in their camp seemed to have something wrong with their expressions.

If we think carefully about the kidnapping threat planned by the three major groups, these senators must be very worried about the personal safety of their family and friends.

Therefore, even though they knew that the three major groups had committed such extreme acts, the senators still did not dare to retaliate against them or even go against them.

Although some other senators' family members and friends were not in trouble, they must have felt uneasy.

Therefore, it seems unknown whether they can continue to support their bill.

After all, the current speech votes are counted according to previous ones.

Before the actual vote, no one knows what the result will be, and no one can guarantee whether any senator will overturn the vote he or she had previously intended to cast due to fear of injury.

At this moment, David can only hope that these senators can stick to their own consciences and not be too affected by last night's events!

Upon hearing this, Donald and the others' expressions instantly became gloomy.

Obviously, they had thought of what David had thought of, but there was nothing they could do now and they could only hope for a good result in the future.

At the same time, on Senado Island.

Most Freemasons were not surprised by Yuna and Mandel's votes in favor.

Because the people rescued by the CIA and FBI last night were the families of these two people.

However, a small number of members started cursing after seeing that the delayed speech process had ended because of the votes of these two people.

But after venting, they could only turn their attention back to the Senate on the big screen.

They also know very well that no matter how much they curse now, it will be of no avail. Only the next real vote will be decisive!
Senate.

Seeing that the votes had reached 60, it was Raglan's turn to be proud. He also said in a sarcastic tone: "Haha, Grace, now the votes are enough, I think you should quickly announce the official start of the bill voting!"

Although Grace looked reluctant, she could only pretend to enforce the law impartially and announced: "Since 60 colleagues support entering the bill voting phase, I declare that the vote on the tax avoidance bill will now officially begin!"

After he finished speaking, Raglan was the first to raise his arm, and the supporting MPs beside him also raised their hands.

At the same time, people inside and outside the venue were nervously counting the votes.

"38, 39, 40... What kind of flight is this? Why are there only 40 tickets?"

"Yesterday, the votes that bypassed the speech phase were 58, but today when it comes to the actual bill voting phase, why is it stagnant at 40?"

"Come on, senators, we only need 11 more votes to pass!"

"..."

After some careful calculation, the audience in front of the TV found that the number of votes did not meet their expectations, and they all became nervous.

At the same time, at the IRS.

Seeing that the situation seemed somewhat unfavorable, the hearts of the senior executives also skipped a beat. A bad feeling surged into their hearts, gradually making them breathless.

Of course, apart from Obadiah and the others, David was not feeling well at this time either.

Because he had seen through the big screen that many senators who originally belonged to their camp were becoming more and more hesitant, and were not as decisive as they were when they raised their hands to vote yesterday.

It seems that the situation he least wanted to see seemed to have happened.

Even though he had ordered the FBI and CIA to come up with countermeasures, the senators were still frightened by the move of the three major groups, which made them hesitant.

"Look, Senator Yukosek has his hand raised!"

Just when the atmosphere in the conference room was heavy and everyone felt something was wrong, an exclamation interrupted their thoughts.

Everyone turned to look at the big screen, and that was exactly what it was.

After such a long period of stagnation, finally another senator bravely stood up.

Although there are not enough votes yet.

But seeing this senator stand up finally boosted the morale of David and others.

However, what surprised them even more was yet to come. As the senator named Yu Kosek bravely stood up, the atmosphere in the Senate seemed to be ignited once again.

Some senators who were originally hesitant also raised their arms one after another.

Soon, the number of votes, which had been stagnant at 40, soared to 49.

Now, it is the turn of the three major groups to get restless, because if there are more than two votes in favor, they will be in trouble.

"Senator Haakon, I know what you are worried about, but don't worry, please trust Inspector General David, he will definitely keep you and your family safe!"

At the Capitol, Raglan is lobbying a senator behind him.

This senator was originally a staunch supporter of the bill, but has not voted until now.

Raglan was also very clear about what the other party was worried about, so he comforted him and tried to get him to vote first. Facing Raglan's urging, the senator named Haakon did not make any response, but it can be seen that his face was still tossing and turning.

Seeing this, Raglan could only continue helplessly: "Senator Haakon, these three major groups have controlled the economic lifeline of our country for so many years. It's time for them to make a change. This is also the general trend!"

"Even if you don't vote, you can't resist the tide of the times, but if you vote, you will be a supporter of the tide of the times, and you will have a strong mark in history books."

"I, Inspector General David, the IRS, and the general public will all remember you. I hope you can make the right choice..."

After Raglan's emotional and logical persuasion, Haakon was finally convinced. He gritted his teeth and raised his arm.

Seeing this scene, Raglan breathed a sigh of relief.

At this time, the people across the country who were watching were also boiling with excitement.

"50 votes, just one vote left, our bill will pass!"

"We're only one vote away. One more senator, please raise your hand. I beg you, bro!"

"Oh my god, with just one more vote, the bill we support will pass the Senate, and we will witness this great moment!"

Except for the people in front of the TV and on the Internet.

At this time, the atmosphere inside the IRS headquarters suddenly became tense.

Almost all the senior executives stood up with nervous looks on their faces, including David of course.

Because they knew this would be a decisive moment.

Just one more vote and this bill, which they have worked so hard on for so long, will pass the Senate!
This will also be a moment of reform in the 160-year history of the IRS!
It can even be said to be a moment worthy of being recorded in American history!
Senado Island
Seeing that the number of votes reached 50, countless Freemasons began to panic.

Over the past few days, they have spent countless financial, material and energy to prevent the passage of this bill.

But even though we have done this, we still can't stop it?
They have always been the ones taking advantage of others, so will they end up being taken advantage of by the IRS in the future?
Oh NO!

This is absolutely unacceptable!
Countless members of the Freemasons roared hysterically in their hearts, staring at the big screen with bloodshot eyes, ready to face the judgment of fate.

At the same time, the people from the Ansa Group and the Illuminati clenched their fists and stared at the big screen with bloodshot eyes, ready to face the moment of heaven and hell.

Under the tense gaze of countless people.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the Senate was still extremely tense.

Of course, the most nervous among them are Raglan and others.

Although it only needs one more vote, the tax avoidance bill can pass the Senate.

But for this ticket, even though they had seen through the situation, they still didn't see anyone raise their hand.

If the number of votes remains at this level, it will not be the worst outcome for them, but it will still be difficult.

Time passed minute by minute.

Ten minutes had passed and there was still no sign of the next senator who was to express his opinion.

According to the Senate's time rules, it is time to express your opinion.

So Grace, who had been tense, stood up and said, "Now the number of votes in favor of the bill is 50. Is there any colleague who wants to express his opinion?"

After he finished speaking, the place remained in complete silence.

Although Raglan and the others were very anxious, they looked around and found that no one raised their hands, so they were helpless and could only stare at each other.

"Okay, since no one wants to vote, we will temporarily adjourn and prepare to enter the stage where the Vice President will express his position!"

As mentioned before, the House of Representatives has 435 seats, or 435 votes, and a bill can be passed as long as more than 218 votes are in favor.

But the Senate is different. It only has 100 seats and 100 votes.

So when the votes are 50 to 50, there will be a tie.

At this time, arbitration is needed, so where is the arbitration vote?
The answer lies in the hands of the Vice President of the United States!

Because the Vice President of the United States is not only the Vice President, but also serves as the Speaker of the Senate.

But it is worth mentioning that there is a big difference between the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives can call the shots in the house and sometimes even have the final say over a bill.

But the same cannot be said for the Senate President.

This position is generally just a nominal one and does not have any guidance or administrative power over the work of the Senate.

Unless there is a special situation, this special situation is when the vote on a bill reaches 50 to 50.

Although the probability of a 50-50 vote is not high in the long history of the United States, it does exist.

And this is exactly the situation that has occurred today regarding the tax avoidance bill.

I have to say it was beyond many people's expectations.

……

"Damn it, how could this happen!"

"50 votes to 50 votes, how could this happen?"

"Damn it, didn't we still have 58 votes yesterday? Why are we stuck here today? Which eight bastards didn't vote?"

"..."

Internal Revenue Service, when Grace announced that it was time for the Vice President to make a statement, a group of senior officials immediately started to curse angrily.

The votes have reached 50, and it seems that they only need one vote to succeed, but no one has cast the vote yet. Naturally, this makes them feel as disgusted as if they had eaten a fly.

"Although it's a bit unexpected, but if you think about it carefully, you can understand it..."

Vertonghen's words interrupted the thoughts of everyone present, and everyone looked at him with puzzled eyes.

"Think about it, the three major groups have already resorted to threats and kidnapping to stop these senators from voting, and the vote count has now reached 50. Whoever casts this vote will be decisive. So even if there are still people in the Senate who support me, who would dare to be the first to step forward before these 51 votes are cast?"

As soon as Vertonghen said this, everyone immediately understood.

Yes, the number of votes now has 50. No matter who casts this vote, it will be a moment that goes down in history.

If it were an ordinary bill, senators would surely rush to cast the 51st vote to attract national attention.

But the cross-regional tax avoidance law is different. The three major groups are almost risking their lives to stop this law.

Therefore, any congressman who dares to stand up and cast the 51st vote will immediately become the most hated person by the three major groups.

So it’s not that so many people in their camp suddenly turned against them, but before the 51st vote was cast, the remaining supporters did not dare to step forward and chose to protect themselves!

(End of this chapter)