Evening star., 1953-02-04
Reorganization Bill
Goes 10 Senate With
Big Victory Forecast
By Robert K. Welsh

=
senhower's specifications, today
=. headed for Senate passage which
Republican leaders predict will
be as pronounced as the 380 to 5
approval by the House.
House members yesterday took
full advantage Of their first real
opportunity for speechmaking
on . major measure In the new
Congress. With only three Re-
publicanS and two Democrats
voting in the negative, they ap-
proved a two-year extension Of
the Presidents power to stream
line Government agencies. But
there was almost three hours Of
lively debate before the House
sent the bill to the Senate.
The measure went through in
the form requested in President
EiSenhower'S state-of- the Union
message last Monday. It would
enable him to prepare reorgan-
ization plans which could be
killed only If a majority of the
entire House or Senate voted un-
favorably within so days That
Is the way it was under former
President Truman.
Republicans Taunted.
House Democrats took full ad-
vantage of their first all-out op-
portunity to twit and taunt the
Republicans over earlier con-
fusion among G. o. p. leaders.
The debate centered on a pro-
posed amendment that would
have let Congress reject a re-
organization plan by a simple
majority vote Of House or Sen
ate members actually present
and voting on it. Thus, as few
as 10 of the 435 House mem
bers or 90 of the SO Senators
could block a reorganization
resolution. That amendment
was shouted down by an over
whelming voice vote.
The bill as passed by the
House would give Gen. Eisen-
hover the same leeway former
President Truman had in re-
Vamping and streamlining Gov
ernment agencies. Continuing
the present law until April /,
1855, it provides that a reor-
ganization plan would take effect
within 60 days, unless turned
down by a So-called conStitu-
tional majority of either branch
of Congress. That would be at
least 218 Representatives or 49
Senators.
Republican Representatives
Hoffman of Michigan, Mason Of
Illinois and Curtis of Missouri,
and Democratic Representatives
Hebert of Louisiana and VIII
lianls Of Mississippi voted
against the extension resolution.
MI. Hoffman is chairman Of
sthe House Government Opera
tionS Committee which last week
reported out, Is to IA, the bill
containing the proposed amend
ment for a simple majority veto
by either branch Of Congress.
The Is were Republicans. The
IL Democrats favored the consti-
tutional majority idea.
Later, word came from the
House that the President wanted
the reorganization law continued
as it was. Republicans on the
Senate Government Operations
Committee, meanwhile, also had
reported out an extension resolu-
ton with the simple majority
provision.
When the matter was straight
ened out, G. o. p. leaders said
the bill would go through as re-
quested by the President. Senate
Republican Leader Taft predicted
several days ago that the Senate
would not make much Of a fight
against the bill if passed by the
House in the form approved yes
terday.
Tempest in Teapot"
Republican Floor Leader Hal
leck yesterday called the whole
thing a tempest in a teapot"
Representative Brown, Repub-
lican, Of Ohio, who originally
introduced the resolution, said
the simple majority amendment
was mot prepared by me or on
the Hill' but was accepted by
the House committee in a belief
that it was satisfactory to the
administration.
This matter has been mag
nif1ed by the press and others
to make it appear that conflict
was developing between the
White House and Congress-" he
asserted. There's nothing to
that. am not at all fearful Of
trusting the House and Senate
to approve reorganization bills
from President Eisenhower,
whether by a simple majority
or a constitutional majority.
And I am glad we now have
President who is willing to trust
the Congress"
Democratic Floor Leader Ray
burn remarked that his party
wanted to assure Gen. EiSen-
hover as much authority as
former President Truman had,
but he complained that "all we
Democrats want is to know one
week what the Republican ma
jority is going to do the next
week."
G. o. p. Congratulated"
Representative Mccormack of
Massachusetts,, the Democratic
whip, congratulated" Republic
can members for finally decid-
ing to follow the leadership of
the Democrats in trying to help
President Eisenhower"
Mr.. Hoffman told the House
his opposition went beyond the
nI1ASfion of O SinY11e ma i0Tifv