Evening star., 1943-05-02
Congress Faces Busy
Schedule 10 Finish
Appropriation Bills
MuIti-BiIFion Measures
Should Be Voted Before
Fiscal Year Sturts
BY, ]. A. O'LEARY.

BY j. A. OLEARY.
Congress faces busy two
months to complete action on II
big annual appropriation bills in
time for the new fiscal year, be-
ginning July /.
The Senate Appropriations Com
naittee will speed up action this
week on several of the six money
bills that have passed the House in
the last two months, including the
s54,789, ,434 District appropriation
bill. -
Only one of the regular depart
mental supply measures-covering
the Treasury and Post Off1ce-has
gone through both chambers and
that still requires House and SEN
ate action on the conference re-
port before it can go to the White
House. Five more are awaiting orig
inal consideration by the House.
The fate of the National Re-
sources Planning Board, the future
scope of the Home Owners Loan
Corp. and the question of whether
to dig a $44,00O,000 barge canal
across Florida are among the con-
troversial issues to be decided with
In a few days as the Senate Com
nittee acts on these accumulated
appropriation bills.
Senate to Get Tax Bill.
The Senate also will soon have
the pay-as-you-go tax fight and ex-
tension of the Reciprocal Trade
Agreement Act from the House to
compete with this long list of ap-
preparation bills for attention, which
means it will have to go into high
gear for the next so days to COM
plete its roster of must" legisla-
ton.
The first test of strength on the
Florida canal project will come
Tuesday, when a Senate Appropria-
tions Subcommittee headed by Sem
ater Thomas, Democrat, of Okla
homa votes on the S63 ,032, ,683 Wa,
Department Civil Functions bill,
covering flood control and river and
harbor work.
The canal is, being advocated to
help bring oil to the East by linking
the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast
waterways, but there Is a dispute as
to whether it would take 10 months
or two years to build the canal if
the money were appropriated. The
amendment to add $4,000, 900 to the
bill for that purpose is being spon-
sored by Senators Pepper and An
drews, Democrats, of Florida, Con-
nally, Democrat, of Texas. May
bank, Democrat, of South Carolina
Barbour, Republican, of New Jersey
and Bridges, Republican, of New
Hampshire. .......-.
The fight over the Resources Plan
ming Board and the HOLC will come
when another Senate subcommittee
acts within week on the $2,620,-
824.379 Independent Offices bill
which carries the funds for a score
or more of separate commissions
and agencies. A large part of. the
total is for the Maritime Commits
sion and the Veterans Administra-
ton.
The House struck out all of the
budget estimate Of 81 100000 fol-
the operating expenses of the board
for" the year commencing July l
and sharply reduced the administra-
tive expenses of the Federal Home
Loan Bank Administration, with a
view to forcing liquidation of HOLC
1t is more than likely the Senate
will restore some allotment for the
Planning Board and also deal more
literally with the HOLC, but the
final decisions still would be made
later in conference with the House
Other supply bills that have passed
the House and will be taken up In
the Senate soon are:
State, Justice and Commerce, which
came from the House April 8, carry
ing S189,629, 400 for those three de.
partments for the new fiscal year.
Farm Bill Has lis Million.
Legislative and judiciary, carry.
Ing total of $4O,659,273, of which
$28, 8,257, 1863 is for the Legislative
branch of Government.
Agriculture, for which the House
allowed s7l5,099,662 for the comins
year.
The five appropriation bills still
being written in the House are fol
the Interior, Navy, the military
functions of the. War Department
the Federal Security Agency, ane
a general bill to provide for variou
war agencies outside of the Army
and Navy.
There is a possibility that tht
Senate subcommittee in charge O.
the District appropriation bill ma,
start hearings this week, but Sena
tor OMahoney, Democrat, of Wyo.
ming, subcommittee chairman, ha
not fixed the date,