American tax officials

Chapter 391 The Crucial Vote

After Grace finished speaking, everyone in the arena and the audience fell silent.

Meanwhile, everyone's eyes kept scanning back and forth in the room, trying to see if any senators had raised their hands.

After a long two minutes, everyone suddenly saw a slender arm raised on the far right of the seating area.

"It's Senator Yuna, she voted in favor!"

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

"Long live Senator Yuna..."

"..."

When the bill's supporters saw the person raising their hand, they erupted in cheers, and the senators in the audience who supported the bill were also greatly encouraged.

But before they could continue to get excited, something even more exciting was yet to come. Another arm was raised in the middle of the seating area, and the owner of this arm was none other than Mandel.

"Nice, very nice!"

"Finally, I can pass this damn speech process!"

"We've finally arrived at the truly decisive voting stage!"

On the State Taxation Administration's side, the senior executives were delighted to see this result.

David, sitting to the side, didn't show much expression, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he reached an agreement with the two senators this morning, people's hearts are unpredictable, and who knows if they might suddenly change their minds.

If they had turned against us, things would have been in serious trouble, but thankfully the outcome is still relatively good.

"What's wrong, David? Is there something else you're worried about?"

Seeing that David had no expression, Donald quickly suppressed his excitement and asked.

"I believe you've already learned about what happened last night. Although I've dealt with it, the time was too short, and I don't know if any unexpected changes might occur..."

David noticed through the screen that some of the members of their camp seemed to have something wrong with their expressions.

Upon closer examination of the kidnapping and threat orchestrated by the three major groups, these senators must have been deeply concerned about the safety of their families and friends.

Therefore, even knowing that the three major groups had committed such extreme acts, these senators still dared not retaliate against them or even oppose them.

While other senators' family and friends were unharmed, they must have felt uneasy as well.

So whether they can continue to support this bill is now uncertain.

After all, the current speech votes are based on previous tallies.

Before the actual vote, no one knows what the outcome will be, nor can anyone guarantee that a senator, out of fear of causing harm, will overturn the vote they originally intended to cast.

At this moment, David could only hope that these senators would stay true to themselves and not be too affected by last night's events!

Upon hearing this, Donald and the others' expressions instantly turned somber.

Clearly, they had thought of what David had thought of, but there was nothing they could do now; they could only hope for a better outcome.

Meanwhile, on Senado Island.

Most Freemasons were not particularly surprised by the affirmative votes cast by Yuna and Mandel.

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

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

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

They also know very well that no amount of insults will help now; only the upcoming real vote will be decisive!

Senate.

Seeing that the vote count had reached 60, Raglan became smug. He said sarcastically, "Heh, Grace, now that you have enough votes, I think you should hurry up and announce the official start of the vote on the bill!"

Although Grace looked reluctant, she could only pretend to uphold the law and announce, "Since 60 colleagues support proceeding to the voting stage, I hereby declare the vote on the off-site tax avoidance bill officially open!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ragren was the first to raise his arm, and the supporting members of Congress beside him also raised their hands.

Meanwhile, people both inside and outside the venue were also tensely calculating the votes.

"38, 39, 40... What's going on? Only 40 tickets!"

"Yesterday, there were 58 votes cast before the speech round, but today, when it came to the actual bill vote, why is it stuck at 40?"

"Come on, senators! Just 11 more votes and it'll pass!"

"..."

After careful calculation, the viewers in front of their televisions found that the number of votes had not met their expectations, and they all became nervous.

Meanwhile, at the State Administration of Taxation...

Seeing that the situation seemed somewhat unfavorable, the hearts of the senior executives sank, and a sense of foreboding welled up in their minds, gradually making it hard for them to breathe.

Of course, besides Obadiah and his group, David was also not having an easy time at this moment.

He had already seen through the big screen that many of the senators who originally belonged to their camp were now increasingly hesitant, and were not as decisive as when they raised their hands to vote yesterday.

It seems that the situation he least wanted to see has still happened.

Although he has ordered the FBI and CIA to take countermeasures, the senators are still intimidated by the actions of these three major groups, which has made them hesitant.

"Look, Senator Yukosek has raised his hand!"

Just as the atmosphere in the meeting room was somber and everyone felt something was wrong, a startled exclamation interrupted their thoughts.

Everyone turned to look at the big screen, and sure enough, it was.

After such a long period of stagnation, another senator has finally bravely stepped forward.

Although not enough votes have been received yet.

But seeing this senator step forward did boost the morale of David and the others.

However, what surprised them even more was yet to come. As Senator Yukosek bravely stepped forward, the atmosphere in the Senate seemed to be ignited once again.

Some of the senators who had been hesitant at first also raised their arms one after another.

Before long, the number of votes, which had been stagnant at 40, suddenly surged to 49.

Now, it was the three major groups' turn to get restless, because if they received more than two more votes in favor, they would be in trouble.

"Senator Haakon, I know what you're worried about, but don't worry, trust Inspector General David, he will absolutely protect you and your family!"

In the Capitol, Ragren is lobbying a senator behind him.

This senator, who was originally a staunch supporter of the bill, has yet to vote.

Ragren was well aware of what the other person was worried about, so he tried to comfort him and persuade him to cast his vote first.

Faced with Ragren's urging, the senator named Haakon did not give any reply, but one could see that his face was still pacing back and forth.

Seeing this, a helpless Raglan could only continue, "Senator Haakon, these three major corporations, these parasites, have controlled our nation's economic lifeline for so many years. It's time to make them change; it's the inevitable trend!"

"Even if you don't vote, you can't stop the tide of the times, but if you do vote, you will be a supporter of this tide, and history will record your significant role in it."

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

After Ragren's persuasive and emotional appeal, Hakan was finally convinced. He gritted his teeth and raised his arm.

Seeing this, Ragren breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, the entire nation watching was in an uproar.

"Fifty votes! Just one more vote needed! Our bill is going to pass!"

"Just one more vote needed! Please, one more senator, raise your hand! I'm begging you!"

"Oh my god, just one more vote and our bill will pass the Senate! We'll witness this great moment!"

Besides people watching on television and online.

At this moment, the atmosphere inside the State Taxation Administration headquarters suddenly became tense.

Almost all the senior executives stood up with tense expressions, including David.

Because they knew this would be a decisive moment.

With just one more vote, this bill, to which they have devoted so much effort over the years, will pass the Senate!

This will be a momentous occasion of reform in the 160-year history of the IRS!

It could even be said to be a moment worthy of being recorded in American history!

Senado Island

With the vote count reaching 50, countless Freemasons began to panic.

In recent days, they have spent countless financial, material, and energy resources to prevent the passage of this bill.

Even though they had gone to such lengths, they still couldn't stop it, could they?

Are they, who have always been the ones to fleece others, about to face the prospect of being fleeced themselves by the National Taxation Bureau?

Oh NO!

This is absolutely unacceptable!

The countless Freemasons roared hysterically in their hearts, their eyes bloodshot as they stared at the large screen, preparing to face their impending judgment.

At the same time, the people from the Ansar Group and the Illuminati also clenched their fists, their eyes bloodshot as they stared at the big screen, preparing to face the moment when heaven or hell could be decided in an instant.

Under the tense gaze of countless people.

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

Of course, the most tense among them were Ragren and others.

Although just one more vote is needed for the tax evasion bill to pass the Senate.

But even though they now see through the situation, they still haven't seen anyone raise their hand.

If they maintain this number of votes, it won't be the worst outcome for them, but it will still be a tricky situation.

Time passed by, minute by minute.

Ten minutes passed, and the next senator to speak was still nowhere to be seen.

According to the Senate's time rules, it's time to make a statement.

So Grace, who had been tense the whole time, stood up and said, "There are now 50 votes in favor of passing the bill. Does anyone else wish to express their opinion?"

After he finished speaking, the room remained completely silent.

Although Ragren and the others were very anxious, after looking around, they found that no one else was raising their hands, so they were powerless and could only stare at each other helplessly.

"Alright, since no one else is voting, let's adjourn for now and prepare for the Vice President's statement!"

As mentioned before, the House of Representatives has 435 seats, or 435 votes. A bill can pass if it receives more than 218 votes in favor.

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

Therefore, when there are 50 votes to 50 votes, a tie will occur.

At this point, arbitration is needed. So where is the arbitrator's vote?

The answer lies with the Vice President of the United States!

Because the Vice President of the United States is not just the Vice President, but also the President of the Senate.

However, it is worth mentioning that there is a significant difference between the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Speaker of the House can wield considerable influence within the House and sometimes even has the power to control a bill.

But the Speaker of the Senate is different.

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

Unless a special situation occurs, which is when a bill is tied 50 to 50.

Although a 50-50 tie is not very common in the long history of the United States, it is not impossible.

And today, this very situation has arisen regarding this off-site tax avoidance bill.

It has to be said that this was beyond the expectations of many people.

……

"Damn it, how could this happen!"

"50 votes to 50 votes, why is this possible?"

"Damn it, we had 58 votes yesterday, how come we're stuck here today? Which eight bastards didn't vote?"

"..."

At the IRS headquarters, after Grace announced the start of the vice president's statement, a group of high-ranking officials immediately began to hurl insults in anger.

They had already reached 50 votes, and it seemed like they were just one vote away from success. But that one vote was all they were missing, and no one had cast it yet. Naturally, this made them feel disgusted, as if they had swallowed a fly.

"Although it was somewhat unexpected, upon reflection, it's understandable..."

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

"Think about it, the three major groups have gone so far as to use threats and kidnapping to prevent these senators from voting. Now that the vote has reached 50, whoever casts this vote will be decisive. So even if there are still people in the Senate who support me, who will dare to be the first to stick their neck out until these 51 votes are cast?"

As soon as Vertonghen said this, everyone immediately understood.

Yes, there are now 50 votes. Whoever casts this vote will be making history.

If it were a typical bill, senators would be scrambling to cast their 51st vote to grab national attention.

However, the off-site tax avoidance law is different; the three major corporations have almost risked their lives to stop it.

Therefore, any member of parliament 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; it's just that before the 51st vote was cast, the remaining supporters didn't dare to step forward and chose to protect themselves!

(End of this chapter)