Evening star., 1947-12-02
Floor Fight Due
lin House onCuf
In StopgapAid
HoIIeck Finds Mony
Opposing Sum Asked;
Vote Next Week
By J. A. OLeory.

A tug of war was taking shape
in the House today over moves
to cut the stopgap foreign aid
bill below the full amount Of
s597 100000 approved by the
Senate yesterday, 83 to 8.
Although the House Republican
Steering Committee took no formal
party action to set a specific figure
at closed session this morning,
Ma jority Leader Halleck said there
are "a great many Republicans who
think the administration estimate
Of the amount required, is too high"
At the same time. however, Chair
man Eaton of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, indicated he ex-
poets moves to be made on the
House floor to put back some of the
funds the Foreign Affairs group al
ready has voted to cut from the bill.
Some of Cut Restored.
While the Senate was giving
strong bipartisan support to the full
s597 900 900 estimate to prevent
hunger and cold in France, Italy
and Austria this winter. the House
committee was restoring some Of =
tentative cut it made last week.
The House version, however. Is
still down to $3.50, 900, 900 for Eu-
rope, plus $6o,0o0,0oo for China,
which was not mentioned in the
Senate bill.
AS chairman of the House Com.
mittee Mr.. Eaton said he would not
originate move to raise the COM
mittee figures, but indicated he
would support such move.
Close observers on the House side
predicted that the forces in favor
of cutting down the Senate bill ap-
pear to be stronger.
Showdown Next Week.
1t will be next week, however,
before a showdown comes. The
present schedule calls for meeting
of the Rules Committee tomorrow
to Ak the length of debate and
conditions governing amendments.
The House will meet an hour
earlier than usual Thursday to start
debate and the rest of this week
will be devoted to speeches, with
action on amendments likely to start
Monday.
! Mr.. Halleck took exception today
! to newspaper criticism OF progress
on the bill. declaring:
There has been extreme expedi-
4 ton in the consideration OF this
measure. There is no basis for fair
criticisms of it's handling thus far,
except by those who think Congress
ought to continue to be q rubber
stamp sss - ~,
I Senate Drops Party Lines.
The Senate vote yesterday showed
both parties strongly IN favor Of saw
ing france, Italy and Austria from
hunger and cold this winter. 1t also
was a decisive answer to the, last
minute plea of Senator Vandenberg.
Republican, Of Michigan to bolster
the morale of those countries against
what he called forces of disintegra.
ton" now at work. =.
But the last few hours of debate
indicated plainly that some of those
who voted aye were doing so re-
luctantly. Their speeches fore
shadowed a longer fight and less
certain outcome for the long g-range
Marshall plan at the regular JAN
uary session.
in Each Party Against.
The six Senators who held out
against even a stopgap winter aid
were divided evenly between the
parties, namely: Republieans-Lan-
ger of North Dakota, Moore of Okla
homa and Robertson of Wyoming;
crats-McKella of Tennessee,
ODaniel of Texas and Taylor Of
Idaho.
i AS soon as he heard Of the Sen
ates action, President Truman tele-
phoned Senator Vandenberg and
Minority Leader Barkley and con-
graduated them on the overwhelm-
ing vote of approval. 49,,
J, Even after the two houses have
settled their differences and sent the
/ stopgap measures to the White
House, it will be only an authorize
1C.. ENPTIT!N ATN PACE