Upon establishing the Model Congress Club, there was one goal in mind: putting Steinert on the mock political map. As a school, we had a reputation to build being in such a profound organization. This journey immediately began with the first meeting between all the schools in the official New Jersey Model Congress, which was dubbed “Party Day”. There, our school immediately made a name for itself with an opening speech by one of the founders, Alexander Difalco, making our presence known. On “Party Day”, we had to split up and establish the platforms (the list of prioritized issues) of the respective parties that each of us decided to join. Half the Steinert Congress joined the Republicans, with the other joining the Democrats. For the Republicans, it was easy to say that our members spearheaded the conversation, and pushed for a de-monopolized healthcare, reformist economy, and extreme pressure on NATO. Additionally, Alexander Difalco was named one of the Party Whips (an official trendsetter for party congresspeople). For the Democrats, our members reported that there was chaos and infighting, with a shouting match erupting over the topic of abortion. Despite the unfolding storm between the two major parties, what came as a surprise was the unveiling of the Independent Party’s role in this political game. They were the biggest party, and their name was “The Fortnite Party”. Like the videogame, they came to dominate. 

After a while of deliberations between club members of our school over plans of action and learning the ropes, the next big day came for the New Jersey Model Congress. This day was dubbed “Leadership Day”. With each day, we all knew that the reckoning was coming ever closer. For leadership day, committee chairs (congresspeople who run committees for specific-issue bills) were chosen through a test of demonstration. Auditioners had to handle a room of congresspeople simulating a congressional committee. Some passed without a hitch, but one member was faced with the unlucky wave known as “political disagreement”. This event was seen once before with the Democrats during party day. However, here I saw it first hand. Yelling, screaming, all the like erupted in the room, and the one chairing was but a cat facing a vacuum. Despite the coming chaos, the chaperones of the organization quickly quelled the situation. With that, the Steinert auditioner, me, got one of the positions. For AJ Difalco, things were less eventful, but still important. He went and defended the interests of our school, and continued to press on important issues with his fellow party leaders.

As the days came and went, the day of reckoning eventually arrived. The first day was when the session officially began for the New Jersey Model Congress. Over 10 schools and hundreds of members congregated at Rider University to begin this great political game. We all immediately hit the ground running as all our members split off to our respective committees. Difalco spent the day as if he were a campaigning president, running around the entire campus making speeches to multiple committees. He was able to strike down some bills in committee, like the minimum wage bill. As things progressed, a festering alliance between the Republicans and Fortnite Party began establishing itself. Soon after, committee sessions came to the floor of the main two houses of Congress. The House session went well for the Republicans and Fortnite Party, but the Senate was more chaotic. A Democratic environmental bill that sought to put high taxes on any construct that ran on more than 50% of fossil fuels was passed. However, it was challenged and then recounted, and that time it failed. However, it was voted on a THIRD time due to the Democrats challenging the validity of the recount, and despite all that heated chaos, the bill ultimately died, closing the first day.

Things continued on the second day, and tension was rising. The ultimate goal for each party is to pass as many targeted bills on the docket, and fail the other party targeted bills. Things were not looking good for the Democrats and the Republicans were doing just as well as the Fortnite Party.  My bill to expand Nuclear and Natural Gas energy got out of committee, which later became important to the end result of the political game. Difalco continued to help pass needed bills through committee along with the other whips. Other Steinert members such as Jack Haber and Fadi Farag were able to pass their bills through committee, yet Anne Simone was turned on by her own fellow Democrats, who failed her bill. The Democrat party faced internal strife, with swabs of Democrats going against leadership, leading the Democrats to fail to pass anything in the House. All that remained were the Republicans and the Fortnite party. The final Republican bill, my bill, was then on the Senate floor. Debate ensued, but was halted by an early call to vote before crucial information could be discussed. With a final vote, my bill was able to pass by a majority of a single vote! It turns out the Fortnite Party tried to quickly align with the Democrats with a final blow to the Republican Party, but their plan failed. With that, the Republicans and Fortnite Party ended in a tie, concluding the final day of the New Jersey Model Congress.

Overall, the experience was rather chaotic yet fun. Everyone who attended appeared to have enjoyed themselves during the whole ordeal despite some hiccups. For our Steinert Members, only one of our bills failed with all the others being able to pass. I believe that the events that took place this year were a success for our school and its Model Congress Club. To end this article, I’ll leave you with a quote from my fellow founder, AJ Difalco. “This year was a great success, we got people in leadership positions, and many passed their bills. I hope to continue this Steinert success in the coming years.”