"Twenty-eight minutes. Passed unanimously."
Neuman placed the freshly printed bill in front of Lucian.
From the moment she submitted the proposal to Congress to the final vote in favor, not even half an hour had passed.
The lawmakers who could normally argue for months over an appropriation of a few tens of millions of dollars had been falling over themselves to agree today. No questions, no amendments, and not a single mention of constitutionality.
Lucian opened the first page.
"Supe Affairs Bureau Special Authorization Act."
Mandatory registration, independent law enforcement, internal judicial authority, research oversight, welfare provisions-every power they could grant had been granted. The bureau would pay no federal taxes and would receive billions of dollars in dedicated funding from the annual budget.
"How generous of them."
"Because they're spending taxpayers' money." Neuman sat across from him. "And no one wants to be the first person to oppose you."
That was the real point.
The Air Force base from last night was still burning. Members of Congress might not understand Supes, but they certainly understood how to keep their heads.
Lucian closed the document.
"Has the president signed it?"
"He signed it three minutes after it arrived." Neuman paused. "He also volunteered to designate the bureau as a top-tier federal partner agency."
Lucian chuckled.
The old bastard was about to leave office anyway. Of course signing it cost him no sleep. Billions in appropriations in exchange for leaving the White House safely-that was a good deal any way you looked at it.
"Announce it as planned."
"Understood."
At two that afternoon, Vought International formally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.
At 2:05, the Supe Affairs Bureau announced its establishment.
Its offices were in the former Vought Tower.
The Vought logo on the exterior had yet to be fully removed