Chapter 227: Chapter 196: Congress and Debates

"Which is why we must provide a large amount of aid for the people immediately!"

"With what money, Senator Clement? The government is barely managing to pay for its current expenses, even with its income from ARPA."

"Foreign loans and the Second Buck and Banking Act, as I have stated for the past month. Senator Weaver. With those, we can implement the necessary programs to turn this crisis around..."

"And borrow from who? The British? They hate us. The Spanish? They're in a civil war. The French? They're busy fighting off the rest of Europe after that republican revolution in Hanover turned sour. Even the Russians can't loan us money because they're fighting their own war against the Ottomans. China doesn't loan money out to foreign countries, and the other American republics are struggling economically as well..."

Senate Coalition Majority Leader Henry Caldwell cleared his throat to stop the fighting between the two senior senators, "Gentlemen, this is exactly why I wanted this conversation away from the public eye. The nation is struggling, and the people are begging for assistance, yet the two of you are far too eager to argue with one another."

While the two bickering senators looked flushed by the Senate Majority Leader's comment, Senator Eleanor Cord of Rhode Island waited silently as she slowly sipped a cup of coffee. Her eyes darted between the three men in front of her as she maintained her calm composure. Next to her was Senator Jose Barrios, leaning forward from his seat with his hands clasped together. He looked at Senator Caldwell and Senator Clement intently but opted to remain silent like his female counterpart.

The senators were gathered in a private meeting room inside the Congressional Lodge, where Congressmen from all over the country gathered and socialized. It was one of the original buildings made for Congressional use, other than Capitol Hill and the Homes of Congress. The building itself was nothing spectacular, but it was homely and contained much history and entertainment. Excluding the gathered senators, there were a dozen other Congressmen in the lodge, but the meeting room was far away from the Lodge's main areas and was well out of earshot from the other occupants.

Senator Richard Weaver spoke up after Senator Caldwell's blunt comment, "With all due respect, everything I said was true."

"Duly noted," Senator Caldwell answered, "However, the Democratic Party's position on this issue should be... re-evaluated. My party and I understand that all the states that were heavily affected were areas with many Democratic voters and officials, but the rest of the country has been hit hard as well."

"The rest of the country was not burnt down, sir," The African-American senator replied icily, "The biggest priority should be the reconstruction of the South. Even my home state was physically affected by the war; Boonesville was raided, and many border towns were damaged as well."

"I agree, but that does not mean the rest of the country should suffer. The Republican Party has offered a compromise on this matter: a focus on the South's reconstruction and a relief bill to halt this rapid economic downturn until the government has sufficient funds to carry out bigger and more organized economic projects. On top of that, a reduced Second Buck and Banking Act to help finance the relief efforts and reconstruction. The Frontier Party and the Democratic Party both rejected the offer, and now we are locked in a stalemate in the Senate."

Senator Frederic Clement from Montreal frowned and crossed his arms, "You left out the fact that a third of the Republican Party rejected the bill, and another third wanted a more radical version of it."

"Our party has many members with various ideas and agendas. We are a broad moderate party, and our goal is to arrange agreements between the major parties and avoid gridlock. I believe that was quite obvious when I asked the senior senators of every party to meet with me today," Senator Caldwell stated as his eyes swept through the room. "Thankfully, we managed to pass critical bills to uplift the ailing inhabitants of the war-torn states with food and material aid. However, until this bill is passed, I'm afraid the nation will be blind while moving forward."

"America has always been economically powerful. We have only hit a pothole because of the war. We do not need excessive government funding to revive the economy. The economy will fix itself, and my party strongly believes that our proposals will help fix the problems without funding issues," Senator Weaver declared as he gestured with his hands precisely.

"What, selling three ironclads to France to fund your bare-minimum government programs and pray that trade will just magically solve all of our problems?" Senator Clement exploded. "And you mentioned earlier that the French Republic lacked money due to their war with the rest of Europe. How will they afford ironclads worth millions, if not tens of millions, of dollars?"

"They will buy because of the power and prestige those ships represent. Let us not forget their rivalry with Britain as well. They still show interest towards the ships, despite recent developments..."

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"Then what will the Navy use to protect our shores? Rafts? A dozen ironclads have been delayed due to funding issues already, and Montreal and Quebec have been heavily affected by the sudden delays..."

"Gentlemen!" Senator Caldwell raised his voice as he slammed his palm onto the coffee table in front of him, "Let us stay civil and discuss this matter without raising our voices. We are here to compromise and iron out a deal, not to argue and bicker. Especially when the nation is in chaos."

"There were riots in Boston, New York, and Savannah last week alone. Over a hundred private banks have closed over the past month, along with hundreds of factories and businesses. Piracy has increased due to a lack of a merchant marine. Three thousand veterans are currently occupying the lawn in front of Capitol Hill to protest Congress's indifference to their economic and social plights," Senator Cord spoke up as her mouth twisted into a scowl, "Two weeks ago, a dozen female factory workers were attacked because their supervisor allowed them to keep their jobs, instead of hiring returning veterans in Detroit. A group of brigands is murdering British settlers in the Oregon Territory while the Army is cracking down on Native Americans that aligned themselves with the British during the war. The southern states are under martial law, and the president is rumored to be ill. I believe 'chaos' is an understatement, Senator Caldwell."

"Senator Cord, it was the Liberal Party that radicalized the Union Party to the point that the Democratic and Frontier parties rejected the Union Party's proposal," The Kentuckian senator remarked.

"Radical? How so? The Union Party supported our proposal on their own accord, and the Liberal Party's agenda is finding more support day by day."

"The Liberal Party did not 'radicalize' us," Senator Clement clarified, "Our party chose its own path, and it decided that the Liberal Party had the right ideas as we advance."

"A path that even I would agree with if it did not involve so much trust in Bucks and an enormous deficit spending," Senator Barrios finally joined the conversation as he relaxed his posture. "I agree with some of the government programs that the Union and Liberal Parties have proposed, but I disagree with many of them. A 'national healthcare' system, a 'social security' program, a 'GI' bill, and among other things... If we even attempt to implement one of these programs, we will be emptying our coffers for the next several decades. Not to mention the proposal to print an additional billion dollars worth of Bucks to alleviate our monetary issues. I have already discussed with my fellow Congressmen about supporting the Republican Party's proposal. However, they will never agree to the proposal made by the Union Party and the Liberal Party."

"Even though almost all Texans will benefit from these proposals, Senator Barrios? Especially since thousands of them fought bravely for the United States during the war," Senator Cord smiled lightly as she placed her empty coffee cup back on the table, "Our proposal is a considerable risk, but a risk that will pay off dividends if implemented successfully. We can not implement a 'half' plan and hope for the best; we must carry through fully."

"Perhaps in the far future, but certainly not now."

"No, I believe a year or two will suffice. Until then, we are amicable to a more watered-down compromise. However, I believe our proposals will be implemented sooner than all of you may expect. We have someone in mind that we believe will help us push these matters into national prominence."

A few minutes later, a single knock on the door quieted the chatter in the room. Senator Caldwell opened the door to find his personal aide looking fazed and frowned, "What is it, Benjamin?"

"Sir, Bonapart has just resigned."

"The Defense Secretary?"

"No, sir. I mean, General of the Army Bonapart. He walked up to the protesters in front of Capitol Hil and publicly announced his resignation and support for the protesters. He also announced his run for the White House as a candidate for the Liberal Party and promised that he would personally pay his former soldiers' pensions with his own wealth until the government acts. He has already announced his proposals and promises to various newspapers in Columbia. The news of his actions is spreading like wildfire."

Senator Caldwell turned to Senator Cord with a dumbstruck expression. The first female Senator in American history only smiled as she poured herself another cup of coffee and looked out the window towards Capitol Hill.

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