The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1953-03-21
THE WORLD
TODAY
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By gAAES NARROW


hover administration arrived in
town like . bunch of surgeons with
glisten knives in their hands, just
aching TO cut the fat out of the
budget.
They're conscious everyone Is
watching the operation. For almost
20 years the Republicans COM
planned the Democrats were over
spending. Let US get In, the Re-
publicans said, and Wen get rid
Of the fat, get down to the bone.
This is their chance and they're
busy on the budget. They still
have to prove they can cut it.
II they don't the Democrats can
turn the guns around and fire the
same ammunition at them in the
1854 elections.
Already there's q difference of
opinion inside President Eisen-
hower's own official family. Bud
get Director Joseph M. Dodge
wants to; trim far more money
off the Interior Department than
Secretary Douglas Mckay wants
taken. .tc
As usual every January, former
President. Truman, before leaving
the White House, presented Con-
gress with his estimate of what
government expenses would be for
the fiscaf,year beginning July 1.
This budget, filling a fat book
with itemized government opera
tons and costs, wasn't flung to-
gether by a couple of White House
secretaries while Truman was busy
packing his trunks.
The budget was the result Of a
lot Of work by lot of people who
started on it as long ago as last
summer, particularly in the huge
Defense and State Departments
which have to think in world
terms.
Everywhere officials in depart
ments, bureaus and commissions
figured their costs for the next
year. This might not be too hard
In the case Of small bureau with
set job and fixed staff. But it
Is colossal for the Defense and
State Departments.
When all the estimates from all
over the government were finished
they were shuttled into the Bureau
Of the Budget which has a staff
paid to try to cut down the esti-
mates made by the rest of the
government.
And, when all that was done and
there was a difference of opinion
between the Budget Bureau and
department, Truman had to make
the decision before the fat budget
book was printed and sent to Con-
gress.
The Truman budget called for
spending $7St1 billion dollars. But,
before the government gets any
Of that money to spend, Congress
goes over the budget, too, and looks
for places to cut because it's Con.
gress which votes the money.
That Teh billions of Truman's
looked too big to the Eisenhower
administration. AS soon as il took
over it went to work on its own
estimates, looking for that often
mentioned fat.
The Eisenhower people are still
busy and Congress is waiting to
get q report from them.
With him into the government as
chief financial surgeon Eisenhower
brought Dodge, a 62-year old Mich
igan banker, and made him head
Of the Budget Bureau. He has to
60 over al the same ground trav-
eied by the Trumanites.
After looking over the Interior
Departments operations Dodge
thought its money requirements
could be reduced 200 million dol
lars below Truman's figures which
were really the figures of the old
secretary Of the interior, Oscar
Chapman.
But now the Se.year old Mckay,
former governor Of Oregon and an
early Eisenhower booster, is interi-
or secretary. He has the job, for |
which Eisenhower picked him, of /
trying 10 make the Interior De- |
partment run all right.
And, try as he might. he can't |
see where Interior can stand a |
cut cf any. mora than 81 million |
below the Truman-Chapman est
mate. Yet, his figure Is only one
fourth the cut Dodge thinks In
terror should take.
He may not battle with Dodge
in . Cabinet meeting but he is
determined 10 oppose DodEe's es.
innate when be has b 20 be-
fore the congressional committees
which will make the final decision
on how much m oney Interior
needs.
This dilferenee Of opinion within
The Eisenhower official family is
the only one that's come to light.
There probably viii be others.
Most likely places viii be in the !
Defense and State Departments.
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