The Washington times., 1913-07-19
BUDGET COMMITTEE
PLANNED. IN HOUSE
New Proposal contempIates
Powerful Body to Supervise
All Appropriation Bills.

A new and promising plan for .
budget committee in the House Of Rep
resentatives, which will have general
oversight of appropriations, and which,
it is hoped. will tend to bring about
economy and better regulated expendi-
lures, is being evolved by the House
leaders.
The latest plan contemplates a power
full House committee, which will have
general supervision of the appropriation
or supply bills, and which will be a
check on the powerful House Appro-
priations Committee and the other COM
mittees that have jurisdiction of ap-
preparation bills.
As the situation stands now, there 10
almost no way of heading on the House
Appropriations Committee when once 1t
determines on expenditures. II Is Q
committee of great power, not excelled
in authority by any committee In Con-
gress.
Congressman James T. Lloyd. Of Mis-
souri,. long head of the Democratic Con-
gressional committee, Is credited with
originating the plan. Conferences have
been held among the leaders about the
proposal and more will follow
Makeup Of Committee.
The proposition is simple enough. It
contemplates q new House committee Of
twenty-one members, Of which the
Speaker of the House shall be, ex
officio, chairman. The committee Is to
consist, aside from the Speaker, Of the
following: The majority leader. who Is
now Mr.. Underwood; the two minority
leaders, now Messrs. Mann and Mur~
dock; the chairman Of the Rules Com
mittee, now Judge Henry Of Texas. the
chairman of each Of the eleven COM
mittees on expenditures, and five other
members Of the House.
The expenditures committees are not
to be confused with the committees
on appropriations and other committees.
such as the Naval. Military Affairs,
and Indian, which make up appropria-
ton bills. For each department there
Is a committee on expenditures In that
department., such as the Committee On
Expenditures In the Postoffice Depart
ment Of which Congressman Pepper
is chairman.
The idea is to make each Of the COM
mittees on expenditures "a real COM
mittee instead Of a figurehead, as in
the past. Each Of these committees will
hold hearings and study closely the
question of the appropriations needed
for the department over which 1t has
Jurisdiction. 1t will report the facts
to the budget committee. That COM
mittee will have the reports Of all the
the majority leader, who Is chairman
Of Ways and Means. to advise 1t what
the revenues will amount to.
To Seek Wise Distribution.
Having digested all this information,
It will be able to report to the House
just how much money ought to be ex-
pended, and in what departments. 1t
will be able to advise the House where
a proposed outlay can be blocked and
where another ought to be made. The
tendency will be. not merely toward
holding down expenditures, but toward
a more wise and just distribution of
expenditures. The Appropriations Com
mittees viii find their demands for funds
not hampered unduly II the true pur-
pose Is carried out, but SO supervised
that unless a proposed expenditure can
be justified ii will encounter strong and
Intelligent opposition.
Generally speaking, under the pres
ent practice. the appropriations commit
almost a monopoly of information about
the needs of the various departments
and bureaus of the Government.
1t is expected there will be strenuous
opposition in some quarters to the plan.
The committees that now control the
appropriations are not expected to rel
ish It, Undoubtedly, however, the
House will be forced sooner or later to
come to some such method Of regulating
expenditures.