Evening star., 1955-01-20
Bipartisan Explosion
Near Over Reyamped
House Funds Group
By Robert K. WoIsh

By Robert K. Welsh
A doubie-barreled blast by an
20 Eepuhlicans and several DEM
ocrats on the 50-member House
Appropriations Committee was
on the verge Of exploding today
against a sfakeup Of subcom-
mittees.
House Republican Leader Mar
tin said 1t was up to Representa-
tive Taber. top ranking minority
member Of the committee.
whether to stage . fsill-scale
fight against the revamped setup
announced earlier this week by
Chairman Cannon. Democrat, Of
Missouri. The New York Repub-
lican has not yet disclosed his
strategy or prospective assign
ments.
There were rumblings about
the subcommittee situation after
a party conference yesterday ap-
proved assignments for all 203
Republicans to the regular COM
mittees. Those listings we're to
be submitted for House approval
today. Democratic assignments
were completed last week.
bipartisan Protest.
Subcommittee designations and
majority member appointments
by Mr.. Cannon, however, may
touch on q full scale flght-even
In majority ranks. Abolition Of
the former Independent Offices
subcommittee and the scatter
ing Of those numerous agencies,
boards and commissions among
the revamped subcommittees has
aroused objections among some
Democrats.
Representative Thomas Of
Texas stands to lose the most
in the re-alignment. He for
merly was top Democrat In the
Independent Off1ces subcommit-
tee. He now has been named
chairman of the subcommittee
on funds for the Veterans Ad-
ministration, housing, civil de-
Tense and a few other agencies.
A new Public Works subcom-
mittee headed by Mr.. Cannon
will handle not only Army civil
works appropriations but also
outlays for the Tennessee VAL
ley Authority and Atomic En-
ergy Commission, formerly con-
sidered by the old Independent
Ofiices subcommittee. Several
other major agencies that or
dinarily would have gone to a
subcommittee headed by Mr..
Thomas were distributed among
various subcommittees.
G. o. p. Problem.
I Republicans, whose strength on
the full committee was reduced
by 10, faced an especially diff
cult problem in assigning their
20 remaining members to the
greatly rearranged IL subcom-
mittees. The Democratic make
mp or shakeup on the subcom-
n1ittees devised by Mr.. Cannon
also creates added difficulties for
Mr.. Taber and the Republicans.
The Dixon Yates contract con-
troversy involving the Atomic
Energy Commission and the Ten
nessee Valley Authority and the
public power issue in general,
also reportedly are factors In
complaints by Republicans and
some Democrats. The newly,
designated Public Works sub
committee will have the first
look at requested outlays not
only for Acc and iva but also
the Reclamation Bureau. and
the Southeastern and South
western Power Administrations.
Dixon Yates Opponents.
That subcommittee would In
clude some Democrats who have
been outspoken against the Dix
on-Yates contract or have differ
ed from views expressed in past
years by Mr.. Thomas In behalf
Of allotments for the Southwest
ern Power Administration.
Democratic, members. In addi-
tion to Mr.. Cannon. would In
clude Representatives Rabaut
Of Michigan. also slated to head
the District subcommitte: Kir-