A well-funded post-Civil War U.S. Navy changes British planning

What if Congress funded a large U.S. Navy continuously after the Civil War?

The United States could become one of the Royal Navy's two main planning rivals and a useful British counterweight against France.

The United States had the resources to build a major fleet if Congress consistently funded it. Britain would then plan against American strength alongside its established European rivals. London might also welcome an independent U.S. fleet as a counterweight to France rather than treat it only as an enemy. The diplomatic relationship would remain unstable because French leaders expected deference while the larger and increasingly powerful United States guarded its freedom of action.