Evening star., 1948-03-11
Budget Bureau
Policy Assai|ed
By Mrs. Rogers
Forcing Acceptance
Of Cuts Criticized
At VA Hearing

Chairman Edith Nourse Roger.
of the House Veterans COMMITTEES
today branded as 'un-American ane
essentially dishonest" the policy thai
Government officials must accept
Budget Bureau recommendations fo]
appropriations.
At a committee hearing on per.
sonnel reductions, H. v. Stirling
Veterans Administration education
chief, disclosed that the bureau cut
his requests for $4,000 workers tt
1000 in the 1949 budget requests
for the year beginning July l.
Asked whether he actually will
need the $4,000 he asked for, Mr.
Stirling said that it was a matter
OF policy to accept and defend the
Presidents budget requests.
Policy Is Assailed.
At this point, Mrs. Rogers de-
clared there Is something "un-
American and essentially dishonest
about man having to defend the
Presidents budget before Congress
regardless of what he knows he
needs"
Mr.. Stirling said the VA asked for
$4,000 rehabilitation and education
workers for the current year, and
that the Budget Bureau marked
the request down to $4,000.
Mrs. Rogers visited the White
House shortly after noon today with
delegation of House members to
ask President Truman to stop a VA
order that would fire $500 workers
by June 80.
Survey Promised.
As she left the White House Mrs
Rogers said the President promised
TO look into the matter and told her
that he is having a survey made
which would include the question.
Mr.. Stirling and the head of a
VA office in New York City told the
committee today that he did not
think the $500 Qlt would cause Sc
rious harm to~ their service to
veterans.
In an all-out effort to halt the
dlsmissals, which Mrs. Rogers says
would drastically affect service to
veterans, the Massachusetts, Re-
publican already has introduced a
House resolution for a special de-
hclency appropriation of $6 5000 ,OOO-
necessary to keep the $500 workers
on the pay roll until June 80.
Affects $40 Here.
The dismissal order, which would
begin to fire workers at the end of
this month, affects about $40 Jobs
in Washington.
Mrs. Rogers at an American Le-
glon banquet last night engaged in
a brief verbal tilt with Veterans
Administrator Gray, who steadfastly
has upheld the reductions. Mrs.
Rogers said she understood some
Legionnaires object to freezing the
$500 jobs on the ground it would
tie Mr.. Gray's hands and would not
allow him to get rid of dead wood"
in the agency.
Sometimes" she added, II think
I would like to tie his hands. And
sometimes I would like to gag him,
too"
Retorted Mr.. Gray: "It's not legal
to spend money you amt got.
Il believe in service to veterans,
and Mrs. Rogers believes in service
to veterans; but she isn't responsible
for money spent"
O'Neil Demands Training.
Legion Comdr. James F. O'Neil
reiterated demands for universal
military training. He said con-
gressional leader recently COM
planned to him that the Legion is
applying too much pressure for the
training proposals.
my reaction" he declared, "is
that the American people and the
American Legion will continue to
apply pressure in an ever-increasing
degree until this vital security meas
ure is on the statute books"
The banquet was the high point
of the Leglon's three-day national
conference on veterans rehabilita-
ton, being held in the Hotel Statler.
The conference will end today.