Evening star., 1954-05-16
Congress Tackles Huge Work Load With One Eye Cooked Calendar

time restrictions has been approved
only by the Senate.
Nothing has come to the veterans
this year. Several minor presidential
requests are less than half way
through Congress.
A bill was readied for Capitol Hill
last week to revamp the Nations
military reserve program. The ad-
ministration plan would move an
other step closer to universal mill
tary training and would certainly set
of long fight in Congress.
District of Columbia citizens have
been tossed only one bone-a much
needed public works bill. But home
rule and suffrage proposals are still
only in the idea stage.
The Senate District Committee
also is wrestling with bill to rescue
the Capital Transit Co. from the
current fiscal policies of the owners.
There is no indication the bill has
wide support in Congress, however.
Status of Statehood
Hawaii and Alaska statehood bills,
now combined into one measure,
await final approval by the House.
The question is whether Republicans
there will accept the combined bill
sent them by the Senate. \
A bill to enfranchiSe another
group Of citizens, the 18-through- 30
year-olds, was ready for debate in the
Senate last week. This proposal must
travel the long road of constitu-
tional amendment.
The administration anti-subver-
sion program has gone nowhere. At
torney General Brownells recon-
mendationS, with one exception,
have languiShed in committee. The
exception, wire tap bill, was not
at all to his liking after it cleared
the House: and there is a question
whether the Senate will give him
anything at all.
Last week two more proposals for
combating communism were sent to
Congress. They would withhold
labor-law protection from unions
dominated by Communists and would
permit the Government to bar sub
versives from privately owned fa-
cilities important to national de-
fense.
Two important foreign policy pro-
posals are not even in bill form.
Reciprocal trade extension has run
into so much opposition. in fact, it is
possible the President will get no
more than one-year extension of
the old Democratic program. And
the foreign aid bill is still under
going committee discussion.
The aid bill is always a work.
maker on the Hill. First an author
ization bill must be passed, then the
whole process must be repeated in an
appropriation bill.
Another proposal, important both
to foreign and domestic policy. is
the new atomic energy control meas
ure, still being shaped by the Joint
Atomic Energy Committee.
The Executives own pressing
money needs have been stalled for
some time. The postal rate boost
bill has seen action in neither house;
and the bill to raise the ceiling on
the national debt limit Temember
last falls "emergency"?) has cleared
- only the House.
But Congress has not even been
kind to itself. The proposal to raise
congressional salaries is buried as
deeply as any other measure of the
83d Congress.
Perhaps if Congress does the near
impossible and finishes its years
work by July 81, the voters will let
that one be slipped by.
OF course, if Congress could con-
centrate only on the major bills, the
years work could be handled IN
stride. But there is welter of minor
bills, vital to some persons, waiting
for approval
In recent meeting of the Senate
Republican Policy Committee bills
like these were cleared for prompt
Senate floor action:
Authorization of emergency farm
loans; ban on transportation of fire.
works into States where they are
illegal; regulation of Federal savings
and loan association branches, and
authorization Of use of customs COL
lected on fish imports to encourage
sale of domestic fish.
The work of Congressman is not
easy.