Evening star., 1952-08-28
President's S Budget
To Be 0uidated Soon
After Congress Gets Il
BY the Asseeiuted Press

President Truman's good-by gift
to Congress will be a Government
budget the size Of a big city
phone book, important sections of
which are likely to become waste
paper within three days.
1t isn't MIR. Truman's idea. A
1850 law requires him to give Con-
gress detailed estimate of Fed
eral income and outgo within Is
days after the opening Of a regu-
lar session.
The new. 83d Congress. most
Of whose membership will be de-
termined in the November elec-
tions, convenes next January 3.
The budget message must be at
the Capitol by January II. At
noon on January 20 a new Presi-
dent takes his oath and Mr.. Tru-
-N--~@
man becomes a private citizen.
Won't Agree 100 Per Cent.
At the same moment, the odds
are heavy that key sections of
the Truman budget will start
heading for congressional waste
baskets. Regardless of who wins
the Presidency, it is unlikely lie
will agree 100 per cent with his
predecessors fiscal plan for the
Government accounting year
which starts next July l. =
Nor is there time between the
election and Inauguration day to
do much about it. The President
elect, after recovering some Of the
energy spent in his campaign,
presumably will want to start
putting together the inaugural
address which will sound the
keynote for the beginning Of his
administration.
No Simple Document.
The budget. moreover. is no
simple document a man can
spread out before him and say,
we'll cut so much here and add
so much to this program. This
particular financial estimate has
been under preparation by the
Budget Bureau since last May.
Long before that, each depart
ment was instructed by the White
House to state its needs for fiscal
1854.
1t contains literally hundreds
OF thousands of items. BY no
means all of these are likely to
be, or even could be, revised by
the new tenant of the White
House. A vast number Of them
represent continuing appropria-
tions for such items as the pub
lie debt and statutory programs
approved by previous Congresses.
However. it's big appropriations
and authorizations for such mat
ters as defense, foreign aid and
veterans benefits that add onE
the top billions and prompt the
inkiest headlines. Obviously It'll
Is there and in similar fields that
the incoming Chief Executive
would find the most fertile ground |
for revision.
Could Make Address, Too.
While the budget message must
and will be sent to Congress, there
Is considerable doubt that Mr..
Truman will choose to deliver the
usual State of the Union address.
although he could if he so desired.
There has been no commitment
from the White House on this
point. It seems more probable
now that the gray-haired Mis-
Sourian will not attempt to lay
down a program for his successor.
The latter's inaugural address
next January 20 could outline a
general plan Of action, and prob
ably will.
There is some doubt, too,
whether the third of the Gus
tomary "big three" messages-the
Presidents Economic Report
will be sent to Congress by Mr..
Truman or his successor. The
law says only that the President
shall transmit such report "atI
the beginning of each regular
session" and give the Joint Con-
gressional Committee to which it'll
is referred until March / to file
its own comments.