Evening star., 1950-07-09
Heavy U. 5. Job Cuts
Blocked by Senator's
Reporting Funds Bill
Continued From First Page.o1


government workers are also GOV
cred by the bill.
The group also modified tn,
House provision that would hav,
imposed prison penalties for Fed
eral officials who exceeded theil
agencies authorized budget cell
ings. Committee members sait
the prison provision was thrown
out of their bill.
The Senate committees rejec
tion of the Houses Taber- Thomas
Jensen amendments were by {
decisive vote. The Taber- -Thoma
proviso, which would have i'm.
posed 10 per cent cut in per.
sonnel in non-military agencie!
and 2 per cent reduction in mill.
tary bureaus, was beaten 18 to 3
And the 10 Republican member.
of the committee Joined the II
Democrats in voting down unani.
mously the Jensen proviso which
would have permitted Fedora
agencies to fill only 10 per CEN
of the job vacancies occurring ir
Government each year.
Sponsors of the Taber- Thomas
Jensen amendments had claimed
that their provisions would elm
mate more than 100000 Govern
ment jobs and effect a savings
of about 81 billion. The provi-
sions also would have limited
Federal agencies spending fol
travelling and other expenses
These, too, were rejected by the
Senate committee.
The substitute amendment for
these provisions was sponsored by
Senator Bridges, Republican, of
New Hampshire, senior minority
member of the Senate Appropri-
ations Committee. The Bridges
amendment would have imposed
a 10 per cent cut on non-military
agencies, with the exception of
the Post Office Department
which would be cut 2 per cent.
The Bridges amendment provided
for no personnel cuts for the
military, security or law-enforce-
ment agencies and had no ban on
filling Federal job vacancies. 1t
did provide for cuts in agencies
travel and other items.
The Bridges provision was de-
feated IL to on vote generally
along party lines. Two Democrats,
Senators Mcclellan of Arkansas
and Robertson of Virginia, joined
seven Republicans in voting for
the Bridges amendment. One Re
publican, Senator Young of
North Dakota, joined II Demo-
Gratis in opposing the Bridges
amendment.
Firing Authority Backed.
In one important respect, the
Senate committee went along
with the Houses general pro-
visions. The group approved, CIV
ing the Commerce Department
the right to fire any employe sum-
marily ''in the best interest of the
Government The department
had asked for such authority. de-
claring that although some of it:
employees had been cleared or
loyalty charges. they were never.
theless considered poor security
risks. The Senate committee alse
voted to give the Maritime Com.
mission, now transferred to the
Commerce Department, similar
powers.
Senator Bridges has announced
he will seek to have the Senate
overrule the committee and in
clude his compromise amendment
in the big money bill when the
measure comes up for Senate
action this week.
1--WE have a reasonable hope
that it will be adopted" Senator
Bridges declared.
Senator Bridges asserted that hi:
proviso was a fair one" that woulc
not utilize the "meat-ax approach
of the House"
In answer to this, Senator
O'Mahoney. Democrat, of Wyom,
ing. who led the fight against
the Bridges proposal, termed il
confused and obviously impracti-
cable"
Difficulties FOreseen.
Senator O'Mahoney said tht
Bridges amendment would caus'
administration difficulties ane
would be impossible to enforce.
He said the Veterans Admins
tration and the Post Office De.
partment, for example, would b,
seriously hampered by the amend
ment. Also. the Civil Service Com
mission would be crippled" Sen
ator O'Mahoney said.
The sharp differences between
the House and Senate bills viii
have to be resolved in House