Evening star., 1950-04-23
Congress Leaders
Hoping 10 Adjourn
Before End OF July
By J. A. Oleory

congressional leaQefS yesterday
provided six major battles can be
fought to a finish by that time.
The big issues that will keep
the rafters ringing in House anc
Senate for the next three months
are:
l. The $29 billion appropriation
bill to run the Government next
year, which the House will fight
over for at least two more weeks
2. The 1896, ,450 900 foreign aid
program, which administration
spokesmen will try to put through
the Senate this week without cuts
proposed by some Republicans.
3. Cuts in wartime excise taxes,
which the House Ways and Means
Committee should be ready to re-
port out by the middle of May.
Foreign Aid Gets Priority.
4. The Fair Employment Prac-
tices bill, which Senate Majority
Leader Lucas has promised to call
up after passage of the foreign
aid program.
S. A more liberal social security
law. passed by the House last year,
and due to come from the Senate
Finance Committee soon.
6. An administration effort to
keep Federal rent controls for an
other year. which faces stubborn
opposition.
There will be other secondary
sKirmlSheS, such as the effort to
Kill some of President Truman'S
Government reorganization plans,
but the six big topics hold the key
to adjournment by mid Summer.
House Republicans. who made
poor start in their economy
drive against the omnibus appro-
prlation bill last week, will get
their pairing knives out again to-
morrow on the Treasury Post
ONCE chapter of the big measure.
Economy Bloc Worried.
Last week they were able to
shave only $8.7 million from three
other chapters containing a total
OF $l.2 billion. Leaders of the
economy bloc are worried by the
lack Of interest shown thus far.
as reflected in absenteeism last
week. On one vote last week 301
were absent out of 431 members.
There are four vacancies in the
House.
While the House continues to
struggle with the Federal budget.
Senate leaders will try for an
agreement to vote by the end of
the week on the foreign aid bill.
but one influential Republican
said such final decision this week
is not certain.
Senator KEN, Republican, of
Missouri, announced last night he
will move to cut 81 billion from
the $3.1 billion for ECA, which
forms the backbone of the foreign
aid program. Some Republicans
nave considered Offering a $500
million cut. A source close to the
administration predicted conf
IDENTIFY that all attempts to cut the
bill will fail.
The House has passed a slightly
reduced foreign aid bill. It gives
ECA $3.50 million less than the
senate version, and Mr.. Truman's
front Four program $40 million
Jess than the $45 million for that
purpose in the Senate draft,
More Amendments Due.
Even though the administration
mas the votes to save the bill from
drastic change, it may take more
than week to debate the variety
OF amendments, including one to
orlng Spain into the economic aid
program. Senator KEN is DRAFTING
other amendments to prevent So
cla!lzatlon of European industries
with American funds, and to pre-
vent funneling of war materials
from the United States to Russia
ana the satellite nations through
Marshall plan countries,
The calling up of the FEpc hill,
Wlthin week or ten days prop
ably will offer the only test tn $
year on the controversial civil
rights program.
1t also will bring the first test
OF the Senate's new anti-filibuster
rule. adopted last year. While
the new rule requires two-thirds
OF the entire Senate, instead of
tWo-thirds of those voting, to end
q f1libuster. it has one other i'm
portant feature. 1t may be ap-
Piled to the preliminary motion
to take up a civil rights bill as
well as to the bill itself. In the
past, Southerners have been able
to talk indefinitely on the pre-
liminary motion, and thereby pre-
vent the bill from ever being taken
up.
The big question is whether the
friends of civil riqhts can ro''ete''
64 votes (two-thirds of the entire
membership. One well-lniur.ned
source estimated yesterday the
COP would produce at least 80
votes for cloture out of the AZ
Senators on that side of the cham
her. If this forecast is borne out,
the Administration would have to
produce "a Democratic votes to
end f1libuster. That will not be
an easy goal for the Administra-
tion to reach. If as many as Is or
10 Southerners oppose cloture. it
would take virtually all of the
remaining Democrats to put it
over.
BY the time the House finishes
action on the omnibus appropria-
ton bill. two or three weeks from
now. the downward revision of
excise taxes will be ready for de-
bate in that chamber.
AS usually happens. the Sen
ate will find itself with most of
the work to do as the time for
adjournment approaches. With
the passage of the tax bill, the
House will be virtually through
except to wait for conference
agreements on Senate changes.
IL