Evening star., 1940-01-06
The Political Mill
President Posses Buck to Congress
On Whether to Enuct New Tuxes

similar proposal was advanced last
May q by Secretary Of the Treas
ury Morgenthau, when he testified
before the House Ways and Means
Committee. Mr.. Morgenthau said
at that time:
IF, for instance, the Ways and
Means and Appropriation Commit
tees Of this House and the Finance
and Appropriations Committees Of
the Senate could meet each session
as one joint committee on fiscal
policy to consider the overall
aspects of the expenditure and rev.
enue programs, simplification and
greater effectiveness would result.
The Budget Act Of 1921 set up a
procedure for the orderly formula
ton by the Executive of fiscal pro-
posals and for their submission to
the Congress as unified budget.
No comparable procedure has been
set up in Congress for considering
revenues and expenditures together
as two interrelated aspects Of a
single problem.
"By providing for a preliminary
legislative consideration of the over
all picture Of appropriation and rev.
enue measures it would give Con-
gress broad perspective of the
state of the Governments finances
and permit a better ordered CO.
ordination between the executive
and the legislative branches in this
field. This joint committee would,
in effect, be lens through which
all appropriation and revenue
measures could be viewed in rela-
tionship both to what the Nation
needs and to what the Nation can
afford
This committee should have con-
tinuous life for the purpose Of
actively studying fiscal problems be-
tween as well as during sessions of
Congress. The Treasury Depart
ment would. of course, cooperate
in this work to the full extent that
the committee desired"
Committee of Only "A.
Senator Harrison's proposal is not
for permanent joint committee
but for a committee to deal par
ticularly with the new budget. Nor
does he suggest that the whole
membership of the appropriations
committees, and the Ways and
Means Committee of the House and
the Finance Committee of the Sem
ate be included. His proposal Is
that each of these committees be
represented by six members, a total
of "a members in the special COM
mittee instead of 110-the entire
membership of these committees.
In his opinion, it would be impos-
sible for committee of ITO to do
the work as we'll or as expeditiously
as the smaller committee.
The Harrison plan for an inquiry
by special committee has already
received the Endorsement of the
Republican members of the Senate,
meeting in conference The Repub-
ican Senators insisted that special
consideration be given, also, to the
actual needs of the country for
national defense-that the special
committee should deal with this
problem as well as with the expendi-
lures proposed for the civil expenses
of the Government.
Representative Martin of Massa-
chusetts, Republican leader of the
House, commenting on the Presi-
dents cutting Of the civil expendi-
lures by some $70O,00O,O00 in his
budget recommendation insists that
the Republicans will go along with
the President in this effort at re-
trenchment. What they will do
about new taxes-and also about the
increases for national defense pro-
posed by the President-is still to
be determined.