Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-06-28
The Unwonted Billion

Inc country mas just been treated to
rare spectacle on Capitol Hill-the
spectacle OF the Senate insisting that the
Air Force accept an extra billion dollars
which the latter says it does not need and
cannot spend efficiently.
Ordinarily it is the other way, with
the executive agencies asking for more
money than Congress is willing to give.
In this same session, for instance the
House chopped billion dollars out of the
administration foreign aid requests, and
remained deaf to all pleas that the full
amount was urgently needed to maintain
the security of the West.
The vote on the Air Force billion is
being pictured as sharp setback for the
administration, and perhaps it is The
President, the National Security Council,
the Budget Bureau, the Secretary of De-
Tense, the Secretary Of the Air Force, and
the Air Force Chief of Staff had not
wanted this additional billion. In effect,
1t is being rammed down their threats.
But if it is setback, in this sense, for the
administration, it is hard to see how the
Democrats can thereby derive any politi-
cal advantage. The vote, 48 to 40, was
largely on partisan lines, with only five
Republicans supporting the increase and
only three Democrats opposing it. But it
Is going to be difficult, and perhaps dan
gerouS, for the Democrats to try to make
political capital out of their feat. For the
average voter, assuming there is no war,
is apt to take a dim view of having to
fork over billion dollars in added taxes
to cover an appropriation which the adj
miniStration did not want and which the
Air Force certainly cannot spend this
year or next year. If the issue comes
down this summer to matter of politick-
Ing, 1t seems to us that the Republicans
will be pretty well armed for the battle.
So perhaps the fair assumption is
that this was not a partisan vote, that
the action reflects an honest difference of
opinion as to what will best serve the
national security. If this is the case, the
question is what effect will the added
billion have on the production of air.
craft, primarily B-52s.
Senators Byrd and Holland, two of
the three Democrats voting against the
increase, thought it would do more harm
than good. According to Senator Byrd's
figures, the Air Force on this July /,
without the added billion, will have $19.4
billion available for aircraft procurement.
He estimated that the Air Force will
spend for this purpose $6.4 billion by
June 80, 1857, thus winding up year
from now with an unexpended balance of
some $13 billion. Senator Holland cited
similar figures and ventured the opinion
that the added billion would produce two
principal results; G) A tendency to bring
the budget out of balance, and (2) en-
courage wasteful spending practices.
Chairman Russell of the Armed
Services Committee carried the burden
OF the argument for the Democrats. He
cut Defense Secretary Wilson into small
pieces but he offered nothing tangible to
show that the production of B-52s would
be Speeded up Senator Symington said
that better programming would result
from the added billion, and he pointed
out that the Air Force budget as sub
mttted to Congress was some So billion
under the amount originally requested by
the Air Force Chief of Staff, General
Twining. 1t is also worth noting that
General LeMay, head of the Strategic Air
Force, has advocated more money, and
tnat Air Force Secretary QuarleS, while
opposing any increase now, has said that
more money would be needed in 1858 to
meet the goals set for 1859 and 1860.
What all of this will shake down to
is anyones guess. A billion dollars will
buy something more than 100 B-52s. But
we doubt whether the Senators who sup
ported the increase really know whether
we will get more of the big bombers
sooner as result Of the vote.