Evening star., 1951-05-30
Congress Near Record
For Inactivity With No
Major Bills Enacted
by the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press
Unless it quickens Its present
pace, the 82d Congress may set
some kind Of record for legislative
inactivity.
With five months of its first
session behind it and a summer
vacation. under discussion, it has
accomplished little to date. But
congressional leaders aren't toe
concerned. They have seen Con-
greSs buckle down to q sudden
squirt Of activity in past years.
So far. Congress has all but
ignored most of the program
President Truman outlined last
sanlA lv in his "state-of-the-
Onion" message.
1t is far behind with appropria-
ton bills for the fiscal year start
ing July /. and there is a likeli-
hood that most Federal agencies
will start off the new year with
"stop-gap" financing.
The status of major bills"
printed daily as part Of the Con-
sressional calendars showed today
that exactly three bills in that
category have passed both the
Senate and the House. And not
she of them has reached the
President.
Fund Bills Hung in Senate.
Six of the regular departmental
appropriation bills for the new
fiscal year have passed the House.
Not one Of them has cleared the
Senate. Several more. including
one financing the State Depart
ment, are tied up in the House
Appropriations Committee.
Major" bills which have
cleared both chambers would CD
authorize a loan for emergency
food aid for India. (2) extend the
reciprocal trade program for two
years and 80 extend the Draft
Act and provide a start on setting
up machinery for Universal Milf
tary Training.
Senate-House conference COM
mittees have worked out compro-
misses on the draft-UMT and the
reciprocal trade bills. The Senate
approved the reciprocal trade ex-
tension yesterday. Both 1t and the
draft-UMT measures will be taken
up by the House next week. Sen
ate-Houss conferees have not yet
started to work on the India aid
bill.
Huge Military Bill Near.
There has been no floor action
on the Presidents request for new
military appropriations, foreign
economic and military aid, revi-
sion and extension Of the Defense
Production Act, housing for de-
Tense workers, education aid to
States, increases in taxes or what
Mr.. Truman called Improvement
Of our labor laws"
A huge military appropriation
bill Is being readied by the House
Appropriations Committee and a
$7.l billion tax bill is being shaped
UP by the House Ways and Means
Committee.
Committee hearings haven't
started on Mr.. Truman's request
Of last week for foreign economic
and military assistance totaline
%s.5 billion. Congressional lead
ers doubt If a bill on that subject
will be ready for several months
Within the next few weeks the
House Banking Committee hopes
to. have ready bill revising and
extending the Defense Production
Act, which expires in another
month. The bill faces rough 60
ing in both the Senate and the
House.
A defense housing bill passed
the Senate, but the House refused
to consider 1t.
No action has been taken. and
none is likely, on new labor legis-
lation. The same situation is true
for aid-to-education.
Congressional leaders feel con-
fiGent that the real emergency
bills will be enacted and the Others
can be shunted aside until 1852
Once the big investigations are
over, they say, Congress can grind
out a lot of bills in a hurry.
Concurrently there are no plans
for Congress to adjourn this year
A recess of a month or six weeks
has been discussed If the situation
early in August permits it.