Chapter 648 - 302: A Future of Forced Submission

Kaufman leaned back, a confident expression on his face, as if he had the situation completely under control.

’This is an offer he can’t refuse,’ he thought.

Leo Wallace was a politician, and politicians need achievements to run on.

A ten-billion-dollar infrastructure project would be enough for Leo to boast about for the rest of his life.

Trading a healthcare bill doomed to face fierce opposition for a tangible infrastructure bill was the most rational choice.

If Leo just nodded, everyone could walk away with their dignity intact.

Leo looked at Kaufman.

He had to admit, the old man had made a shrewd calculation.

It was a classic divide-and-conquer strategy.

Separate Leo’s two fists, offer a piece of candy to one hand, and chop off the other.

But Leo was prepared for this.

"Mr. Speaker."

Leo picked up the two documents from the table.

One was the Comprehensive Infrastructure Bill, the other the Pharmaceutical Benefits Bill.

He held them in his hands, weighing them.

"Your proposal is very tempting."

"Ten billion for one concession. It sounds like a great deal."

Leo stood up and stacked the two documents together.

"However, you’ve misunderstood one thing."

Leo pressed his hands down on the stacked documents.

"These aren’t two documents."

"They’re one."

Kaufman paused for a moment, then frowned.

"What nonsense are you talking about? These are two completely different bills. One is for infrastructure, the other for healthcare. They fall under the jurisdiction of different committees."

"No, they are one and the same."

Leo’s voice was firm.

"Mr. Speaker, you should have read the funding source section of that infrastructure bill more carefully."

"What are those ten billion US Dollars in bonds backed by?"

"By the projected fiscal revenue of Pennsylvania for the next thirty years."

"But according to the State Constitution, the State Government’s budget must be balanced. If you want to add ten billion in debt, you have to find a corresponding source of revenue or cut an equivalent amount of spending."

Leo flipped open the document and pointed to a clause within.

"Look here."

"’The debt service for this infrastructure plan will be funded primarily by the surplus in state subsidies saved from the reduction in statewide healthcare spending.’"

"That’s the lynchpin."

Leo stared at Kaufman, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Do you know how much the Government of Pennsylvania pays annually for the health insurance of low-income groups?"

"Fifteen billion US Dollars."

"And my Pharmaceutical Benefits Bill, by lowering drug prices, implementing transparent audits, and leveraging the efficient operation of the Mutual Aid Alliance, can save the state treasury at least three billion US Dollars a year."

"That three-billion-dollar surplus is the source of repayment for the ten-billion-dollar infrastructure bonds."

"It’s a closed fiscal loop."

Leo slammed the documents down on the table.

"Without the healthcare bill, there is no three-billion-dollar surplus."

"Without that three-billion-dollar surplus, the ten-billion-dollar infrastructure bonds are unconstitutional. They would never pass a balanced budget review."

"You want to pass the infrastructure bill? Fine."

"But on one condition: you must also pass the healthcare bill."

"Otherwise, the Treasury Department simply cannot sign off on the bond issuance documents, because that would lead to the bankruptcy of the State Government."

"The two are conjoined twins."

"They either live together or die together."

Kaufman was utterly stunned.

He snatched the document and flipped furiously to the funding source page.

Leo Wallace had tied the two issues together.

From the very first day he drafted the bill, he had anticipated today’s confrontation.

He knew the Senate would obstruct healthcare reform, so he had turned that reform into fuel for the infrastructure plan.

You want to make money? Want to get projects off the ground? Want to appease the construction lobby?

Fine.

But first, you have to take a slice out of the pharmaceutical companies.

Use the blood of the pharmaceutical companies to fill the stomachs of the construction companies.

This was Leo’s gambit.

Pitting capital against capital.

Using one vested interest group to tear apart another.

Kaufman threw the document onto the table and roared, pointing at it, "This is unconstitutional!"

"Wallace, do you think I just joined the legislature yesterday? Do you think I don’t know the law?"

"This is improper bundling! It’s a legislative practice explicitly prohibited by the Pennsylvania Constitution! You can’t force a package vote on two completely unrelated bills by tying them together!"

"It violates the single-subject rule!"

"I won’t sign it, and I won’t allow this absurdity to even reach the floor for a vote."

Kaufman glared at Leo, his eyes vicious.

"If you dare try to force this through, I will immediately instruct my legal counsel to file a lawsuit with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. I’ll seek an emergency injunction to freeze the entire process."

"I’ll have a judge declare this clause invalid! And not just the clause—the entire ten-billion-dollar infrastructure bill will be voided for procedural violations!"

"You want to play hardball? Fine. We’ll see you in court. Let’s find out what’s stronger: your public support or the State Constitution."

Judicial review.

This was the ultimate failsafe in the United States political system, designed to check the overreach of the executive and legislative branches.

When political gamesmanship reached a stalemate, or when one party tried to break the rules, the courts were often the ones to have the final say.

And after saying this, Kaufman even felt a sense of relief.

He could finally pass this hot potato to someone else.

The pressure of blocking the bill was too great; he didn’t want to face the wrath of angry construction magnates and bankers alone.

But if the justices of the Supreme Court were the ones to declare the bill unconstitutional, that was a completely different story.

It wouldn’t be Robert Kaufman’s political decision. It would be the will of the law.