Evening star., 1945-09-05
$3,500,000,000 Cut
In Agency Budgets
Asked by Truman
Army, Navy Figures
Not Included in List;
Other Cutbucks Due
By J. A. FOX.

President Truman today asked
Congress to cut more than So
500,000,000 from war-related ex-
penditures and authorizations
proposed in the current years
budget.
The Presidents recommendations
would pare S2,755, ,981 1894 from %
agencies and would cut back con-
tracts by s794, SCI ,2O8
These recessions, a White House
statement said. do not include any
for the military activities of the War
and Navy Departments for which
the President said he would make
recommendation within a few days.
Mr.. Truman told Congress that
today's proposal is "one of many I
shall make for orderly reductions in
war appropriations which Con-
gress provided in the second def
cheney appropriation act of 1914.
Further Adjustments Coming.
Specifically, the President said, he
will recommend further adjustments
in war and war-related appropria-
tions in a report to Congress Janu-
ary 3. At that time, the President
will be submitting his annual mes
sage on the state of the Union and
his annual budget message.
3 In addition to the large cutbacks
proposed today, the President also
recommended reductions of S9,3l8.-
307 in 1916 administrative expenses
for several Government corpora
tlons and agencies; transmitted a
proposed revision that would return
to the Treasury certain corporation
funds totaling s1,190,00O; proposed
provisions extending the availability
of certain national defense appro-
priations to June 30, 1916, and also
made recommendations for facili-
tating the liquidation of war agen-
cies.
The cutbacks the President pro-
posed today conformed to a request
from Chairman Cannon of the
House Appropriations Committee
for agencies to be prepared for i'm
mediate hearings before the def
cheney subcommittee-which started
today.
Work on Revisions.
The Budget Bureau and the sew
eral agencies involved have been
working on these revised estimates
for two weeks.
The proposed reduction in war
related appropriations approximates
81 per cent of available balances
now totaling s7,439, ,O0O, 900.
The contract authorization cut
amounts to about So per cent of au-
thorizations totaling 81, ,377 900 900.
Principal reductions include:
Lease-lend. S1,730, ,00O, 900 and $780,
100000 in contract authorizations:
Maritime Commission. S496, 500 900 in
appropriations and $4,000 900 in
contract authorizations: Office of
Scientific Research and Develop
ment, $54,000,00O out of $4,000 900
appropriations; OPA, s21, 1886 900 out
of STA 100000; Office of Strategic
Services, s9.500OOO from $40, 900 900:
War Production Board, 1888 200
from S35,000,000; Office of Censor
ship, S8.200,000 from S13,OOO.OOo
FEA, So, 3,437.042 from S16,75O 900, and
Office of Defense Transportation,
s3,o75, 900 from s7,350,O00.
I'm making these recommends
tlons for reductions in wartime ap-
preparations" the President told
Congress, Il am sensitive to the
responsibility which lies on Congress
and the President to make such re-
auctions in way that will best
serve the national interest. We shall
be lmpelled by national desire to
reduce war appropriations quickly.
but in many cases the question of
whether reductions should be made
or to what extent they should be
made will involve decisions on prob
lens OF major Importance to the
future well-being of the Nation
which require time Tor careful con-
slderation and resolution.
With these considerations in
mind 1t seems to me that a sound
course Is to take action to reduce
appropriations only to the extent
such reductions can be entirely
supported by conditions existing or
clearly foreseeable at the time.
Where further reductions must be
based partially on Judgment as to
unknown future conditions, l be-
lIeve it is the sounder course to de-
lay them until their effect can be
predicted with more reasonable as
surance."
Explaining that today's proposal
is only one of others that will fol-
low and that new recommendations
will come in January, the President
said:
In the meantime, l shall proceed
to take administrative action to the
full extent of my authority to speed
reduction in war and war-related
activities"