Evening star., 1947-08-08
President S Request
For Fund Study Stirs
Budget Fight Anew

The battle Of the budget, which
started in January when the Re-
publican majority in Senate and
House promised a deep, cut in
President Truman's estimate of
a $37,5oo,0 100000 outlay in the
present fiscal year, was stirring
again today.
The President was on record with
a statement that he had called on
the Budget Bureau for a detailed
and exhaustive" study of the state
Of the Governments finances de-
signed to show just how far the
promise Of COP economy was made
good.
Concurrently, political spokesman
for Republicans and Democrats
tangled on the COP record over
the airways, with Carroll Reece,
Republican chairman, declaring his
party showed in the 80th Congress
that it will keep faith with the
American people," while Gael Sui
livan, executive director of the
Democratic National Committee
charged that the opposition played
horse and buggy politics in the age
Of the atom bomb"
Near Original Estimate.
MIR. Truman's announcement of
the budget study was made at
news conference late yesterday
when reporter asked If he had
estimated the savings made by the
last Congress"
Administration officials say spend
ing will approximate the original
White House estimate of $780,
100000.
In response to the query, the
President read a prepared state
ment which opened with the. ex-
PLANTATION that "in fairness to all
concerned, do not intend to make
any hasty predictions on the amount
of the so-called savings effected by
the Congress in the 1913 budget
until all the facts are in,
Adding that "a great many COM
plex factors have to be taken into
consideration" before an adequate
picture can be obtained, MIR. Tru-
man said that in some cases Con-
gress has substituted contract
authority for direct appropriations:
IN others, appropriations originally
requested in 1947 were not enacted
until 1913; in addition, only part
time appropriations have been made
Tor some agencies which have been
instructed to seek deficiency funds
if necessary.
The recession ordered by Con-
gress "in funds which would not
have been spent anyway" Is. an
otner angie to be considered, he said.
Asks Budget Study.
Asserting sharply that "the Amer
ican people are more interested in
what their Government will actual
ly spend during the fiscal year than
they are in shifts and changes in
the appropriation structure" the
President disclosed that he had
called for the Budget Bureau study.
Its results probably will be made
public in connection with the annual
m1dyear budget review.
In figuring that spending will
near the original figure proposed by
President Truman, officials calculate
that the congressional savings
amount to about $1,60,000, 900, but
that additional costs-not foreseen
When Congress went to work in Jan
uary-will eat up sizable part of
that sum.
The new expenditures include the
$400, ,000, 900 Greek Turkish aid pro-
gram and the virtual certainty of
Britain's using perhaps $500, 0,000, 900
more of her loan than was budgeted
for this year. Also, Congress voted
expenditures of $150OOO, 900 for
stockpiling materials, $64 ,OO0, 900 to
fight hoof-and-mouth disease, $685.
100000 for veterans and other items
which were not in the original budg-
ct estimate.