Evening star., 1936-04-10
Budget Bureau Control.


Senator Thomas considers his plan
to question Budget Bureau officials on
their procedure in shaping the District
budget as constructive" move, with
no criticism intended or implied. That
is the correct attitude. The question of
fundamental Importance is not so much
the wisdom or the error OF specific
budget rulings, but the fact that such
rulings and opinions have gradually
come to assume the authority of statu-
tory law. When an administrative bu-
reau exercises what amounts to arbi-
trary powers the matter needs looking
into, and any careful examination is
bound to be constructive.
That the Budget Bureau can and does
exercise such authority in relation to
the District of Columbia there can be
no doubt. The power of reporting on
local legislation, not necessarily involv-
Ing any appropriations, has recently been
taken over by the Budget Bureau. An
adverse report by the Budget Bureau is
enough to nullify proposed legislation
even before it reaches the stage of COM
mittee hearings in Congress. Budget
Bureau rules against agitation, by public
officials, of matters adversely ruled on by
the bureau could conceivably prevent the
health officer from making speech on
the need for more adequate health pro-
lection; could silence the fire marshal
from discussing additional fire protec-
ton; could gag the superintendent OF
schools from presenting to taxpayers the
need for new school building.
The exercise of such power and au-
thority by the Budget Bureau over the
District was never intended in the first
place. 1t has no specific antecedents in
legislation. It results in even further
removing from local citizens the SEM
blance of control that their popular sem
timent might have on the appointed Of
fcials who administer the affairs of their
local government.
Such power is distinctly harmful to
the District. 1t creates super
government on top of the govern
ment at the Municipal Building. Two or
three laymen at the Budget Bureau can
kill carefully devised health program,
formulated on the professional advice
of public health experts. They can in
terpose a categorical mo- to recon-
mendation of the Board of Education and
the Commissioners on school needs. They
can arbitrarily deny hospital facilities re-
earded as urgently needed by the techni-
clans. And their irrevocable decisions
are reached behind closed doors, safely
removed from public examination and
protected-by official decree-from off,
cial criticism.
That is not a healthy state of affairs,
in Washington or anywhere else. 1t is
entirely illogical About eighty-five per
cent of the funds making up the appro-
priation for the current year are de-
rived from local taxation, having no con-
nection with the Federal budget. The
only Federal money involved is the lump
sum, which has been reduced in part in
the past by the quasi-legislative prac-
tices of the Budget Bureau. There is no
reason why the Commissioners should
not deal directly with the exclusively
legislating Congress in presenting their
estimates, without the awkward inter-
position of Federal agency chiefly oc-
cupied with matters relating to the Fed
eral budget and exercising an unnatural
power over the affairs of community
of half million people.