Evening star., 1947-06-30
CongressSeeks
FundIess Offices
Only One Supply Bill
Cleared on Last Day
Of Fiscal Year
BY the Associoted Press

Congressional fiscal experts
met today to discuss ways of
financing Federal agencies as
the fiscal year neared an end
with only one of II regular ap-
preparation bills cleared by both
the Senate and the House.
Only two of the departments
will have cash with which to operate
past midnight unless something is
done quickly. The two are the
Treasury and Post Office Depart
ments, whose appropriation bill for
the year beginning tomorrow is on
President Truman's desk.
Both Senate and House have
passed stop-9ap measure allowing
unfnanced agencies to incur ex-
penses in anticipation of their pend
ing appropriations. But there is a
question whether they can actually
meet their payrolls.
A Senate resolution permitting
them to make actual expenditures
is before the House Appropriations
Committe Some members of that
committee are reluctant to accept
1t because it permits expenditures
at the rate contemplated in the
Presidents budget estimates, which
the committee hopes to reduce.
G. o. P. Points to Record.
The II snagged appropriation bills
are the main business before Con-
gress as it goes into the last sChed-
uled month of its session.
But as the lawmakers turned into
the homeStretch, Republican lead
ers, in the drivers seat for the first
time in Is years, voiced pride in
! their record and confidence that
they will overcome many hurdles
still on the road to planned ad-
journment July 26.
In the nearly six months it has
been in session. this Congress has
enacted laws of reaching i'm
port and at home and abroad 1t
has made provision for sharp re-
ductions in Government spending,
and it has given President Truman
many things he asked for even
while turning a deaf ear to other
requests.
But it still has several major
must bills on the calendar.
! Probably no other Congress in
] recent history has come to the end
of a fiscal year with as few de-
partmcntal appropriation bills out
of the way.
With only one of the II regular
supply bills out of the way, all
others either are awaiting Senate
action. are in Senate-House confer
ences because of disagreements be-
tween the two branches or haven't
even emerged from the House APP
propriations Committee, which orig
mates all money bills,
On the basis of appropriation ac-
ton to date, the House Republican
drive to slash $6,000,000,000 from
President Truman's 1948 budget OF
| SGT 500 ,000,0 will come closer to the
! 81 4,500,000,000 cut recommended by
| the Senate. House-approved reduC-
tionS to date on II annual bills ap-
proximate 2.800,000,000 compared
/ with budget estimates.
There are several reasons for the
unusual delay in enacting the ap-
preparation bills this year The
Reorganization Act provided for
new fiscal procedures in Congress
and as a result the House ApprO-
priations Committee got off to a
slow start in considering the supply
bills
/ Shift of Control Was One Reason.
/ Then, too, the turnover in poltj-
cal control of Congress meant
complete reorganization of the APP
/ preparations Committee, with con-
troll shifting from Democrats to
Republicans.
! Instead of starting hearings on
money bills in December or earlier,
which is normal procedure when
there is a continuation of party
control, the House Appropriations
Committee couldn't get started until
late in January. When it did get
started. it cut sizeable portions
from President Truman's requests.
Here's the appropriation box
score:
Bills passed by Senate and House
and sent to President: The
Treasury -Postofice bill.
Passed by Senate and House and
awaiting conference action: Fl
nancing the Labor Department and
the Federal Security Agency. the
Interior Department and the Navy
Department.
/ Passed by House but not acted on
by Senate: Financing the War De-
partment, the legislative establish
ment. State Justice Commerce De-
partments zone bilD, Agriculture
(See FISCAL Page A-4D