Evening star., 1951-07-01
Congress Approves
Stopgap Funds Bill
In Session at Niqht
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IN a disastrous cutback" in i'm
portant foreign aid programs.
A Senate House conference
committee needed the Presidents s
urgent appeal as it worked out q
compromise in a meeting lasting
nearly two hours.
Both the Senate and House
stood by as the conference COM
q mittee struggled with the measure
AS revised by the committee,
the House adopted the bill by q
roll call vote of 256 to II.
The Senate agreed to it on a
voice vote with only seven mem
bers present, including Senator
McKeller who was presiding at
the time.
Uph0lds Defense Contracts.
Representative Cannon said the
compromise largely met" the OBJ
Jections voiced by President Tru-
man against the Senate measure.
He added it assured continual
ton of the placement of military
contracts for the mutual defense
program at the present accelerated
rate. The President had said in
his letter that the Senate version
would require reduction in such
contracts from a rate of 5000 mil
lion month to $3.50 million.
1--WE have restored all the funds
needed by Gen. Eisenhower, Mr.
Cannon said.
Gen. Eisenhower is organizing
the Western European anti Com
munist defenses under the North
Atlantic Pact.
Additional Provisions.
In addition to the mutual de-
tense funds, the compromise also
provided:
l. The sum of $2.5 millions for
the Point Program in July. The
President said the Senate version
would have forced a cut from $4I
million to $500, 900 in the technical
assistance program just when this
work Is beginning to have "a real
impact"
2. A total of $145 million for the
Economic Cooperation Admins
tration. The President had said
the Senate bill would cut funds
available to Europe to $101 million
from a contemplated figure of
$l35 million and would cause
virtual suspension of economic aid
to Formosa and other Southeast
Asia Countries by reducing funds
for that area from $22 million to
$4.6 million.
3. For restoration of about $456
million of unspent foreign aid
funds which President. Truman
said would. if eliminated, "set back
our time schedule for the produc-
tion and delivery of materials and
weapons needed for security pur-
poses abroad"
Allows Accelerated Spending.
The compromise allowed the De-
tense Department an acceleratedt |
rate of spending based on the,
last quarter of the 1851 fiscal year
to meet the expanding rearma-
ment program. But it carried the
Senate version providing for non
defense agencies spending on the
basis of the first quarter of the
last fiscal year.
The spending rate for the Dis.
trlct government also was based
on the first quarter of the 1851 |
fiscal year. Committee members
said this would result in some
curtallment of District spending
since the Districts expenditures
In the first quarter were less than
those in the fourth. However,
Capitol sources said they had been /
informed by District officials that !.
there would not be "a great diff
ference" The District Commits l.
sioners were authorized to make |,
obligations and expenditures for
the Office of Civil Defense and /
the District rent control on the /
basis OF the fourth quarter.
The compromise bill also re- |
tained a Senate provision barring |,
the purchase by Government
agencies of new automobiles un-
less specifically authorized. F,
Plan to Push Cuts.
AS Acting Majority Leader Hay
den, Democrat, of Arizona, pushed
the bill through the Senate, SEN
ator Ferguson, Republican, of
Michigan. warned that Govern /
action as an indication that per-
Sonnel and leave cuts will not be /
strongly pushed when the regular
appropriation bills are being con- /
sidered.
The Senate took less than five
minutes to act on the measure. /
The House. on the other hand, /
discussed it for some time with |
Representative Brown, Republican
of Ohio, taking occasion to criti- |
cize what he described as "a gag |.
rule" which prevailed when the |,
original House resolution was |
adopted last Friday and which |
barred any amendments.
Mr.. Brown said that if amend /
ments had been permitted meas
ure similar to the one passed by |,
the Senate would have been |,
adopted and the difficulty faced [
by Congress in the usual Satur- \
day session was absolutely un-
necessary"
Representative Cannon defend
ed the way the legislation was
handled as being necessary to
block "obstructionists" on the 9TH
er side.
Cries for Vote.
The discussion was interrupted
by cries from both Democratic
and Republican sides of the aisles
for vote, vote"
Representative Andersen, a Re-
publican. of Minnesota, set the
actual House passage back by i
nearly half hour by calling for a
roll call vote.
While the stop-gap bill gives the
Senate and House hrea tber for