Evening star., 1949-10-21
Job Of Appropriations
Has Become Too Big
For Present System
Both Parties Must Find
Way to Coordinate
Work of Congress
By David Laurence

oollletiIIleS IL Is easy 10 over -
look the obvious" This time the
obvious" happens to be the
breakdown of big government.
For whatever may be said of the
record of the 81st Congress, the
fact remains that the legislative
job has become too big for the
present legislative system.
To appropriate s44,500,000, 900
Is tremendous job.
In wartime, of course, big
appropriations slide through in
blank check fashion. Whatever
the military wants. it gets. The
executive prepares the requests
and the legislative branch accepts
the figures without too much
questioning or debate.
In peacetime. the pressure of
groups to get some of the $44,500,-
100000 is indescribable.
Actually there were requests for
nearly twice this sum. Had the
military budget been accepted by
the President as originally
planned, it would have run closer
to 2.000,000,o00 than $15,000,-
100000.
Contract Authority"
The indirect consequences of
the session Of Congress 60 far
beyond the sums actually author
lied for spending. 1t is the con-
tract authority" and the starting
of projects for which annual
sums will be voted for many years
hereafter that make the job of
appropriating money so difficult
even for the members of Congress
themselves to follow.
Assuming 100 per cent fidelity
to their tasks and leaving out
partisanship of any kind, the same
pressures have been exerted on
the 81st Congress as on the 80th
Congress.
Where billions of dollars are
being handed out, the waterfalls
tic and acquisitive streak that
emerges in any economic democ-
racy is sooner or later trans
formed into political pressures.
Whether it is an Air Force or a
Navy or an Army appropriation,
the business interests that can
profit by such contracts are very
much alert to the opportunities.
Local areas put pressure on both
Republicans and Democrats. The
31st Congress. for example, au-
thorized $741 100000 more for one
armed service than the President
or the Joint Chiefs of Staff or the
director of the budget requested.
It would be easy to blame the
executive for excessive spending
but fairness does not permit any
such conclusion. The executive
recommends but the legislative
body does the actual spending.
If. therefore, there is a big
deficit, it is much more the fault
of the Congress than of the Presi-
dent.
Why does Congress insist on
spending more than is being col
lected in taxes? The only answer
is to blame the American system
of politics-and this means pres
sures from those persons outside
the Government who bring the in
fuence of votes to bear on Con-
gress.
Not Altogether at Fault
So Congress is not altogether
at fault. Back home are prospec-
tive candidates ready to make
political capital out of the fail
ure of members of Congress to
vote for particular appropriations
desired by their constituents. This
is true inside both parties.
The sympathies of the country
can we'll be extended to the Con-
gress. For the work has grown so
extensive and the problems so
complex that members cannot
possibly keep up with their jobs.
The number of committees has
been cut down by the reorganiza-
tion plan enacted into law a
couple years ago. Yet the work
of the committees has visibly in
creased.
Members Of Congress cannot
possibly attend to their volumi-
nous correspondence from constit-
uents, handle callers, study cur
rent problems on which they must
legislate, attend committee meet
ings and keep up with the require
ments of 1949 legislative ses-
sion. It is just too much.
Government has gotten too big.
What happened in the session just
closed was a collapse of the old
system which was tottering any
way. Some better method of CO.
ordinating the work of each House
of Congress must be devised. It
Is not the lengthy debate and
talk that consume time-it is
the work of the committees. That
situation cannot be helped until
the country and the leaders of
both parties recognize that, en-
tirely apart from the demands
for new laws and repeal of old
ones. it is a colossal task to decide
how to apportion or allocate $44.-
500, 100000.
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