Evening star., 1960-08-09
Congress Expected to Limit Its Action
To Five Major Bills This Session
BY J. A. OIEARY
Star Stan Writer

bered and its mind on politics,
the reconvened Congress will be
doing well if it finishes five ma
jar bills already passed by one
chamber or the other. veteran
lawmakers predicted today.
The five measures are foreign
aid appropriations, an increase
in the minimum wage, Fedora,
aid to school construction,
housing and medical care for
elderly persons.
More than a dozen other con-
troversial issues listed by Presi-
dent Eisenhower yesterday, in
Guiding farm relief, further
civil rights legislation, aid to
areas of chronic unemployment.
a highway bill and increased
postal rates probably will await
the new Congress to be elected
in November.
Although Senate Democratic
Leader johnson of Texas an
nounced the Senate within a
few days will begin operating
on a 12-hour day and a 6-day
week, most observers agree it is
not possible to put through a
long list of controversial bills in
the political atmosphere perme-
ating Capitol Hill.
Faces Rough Road
Even the medical care bill
may have rough shedding, de-
spite its wide popular appeal,
because of sharp differences be-
tween the House and Senate.
and between Republicans and
Democrats mindful of the elec-
ton campaign already under
way.
The House has passed
health bill along administration
lines authorizing Federal grants
to encourage the States to de-
velop their own medical care
programs for aged persons with
low incomes.
Most Democrats in the Senate
are believed to favor substi-
tuting a Forand-type bill. which
would add medical care to the
social security program. to be
financed with an additional
payroll tax. But Democratic
leaders face two big hurdles in
the path of such a substitute.
First, they must get it out of
the usually conservative Senate
Finance Committee, which will
be difficult.
Even if the Senate passes
social security type bill it may
run into the same roadblock in
the House Rules Committee,
which has delayed action thus
far on the school construction
and housing bills. Rules Com
mittee action probably would
be necessary to get the House
and Senate versions into a con-
ference committee for final
agreement.
3 Foreign Aid Requests
On foreign aid, the President
made three requests. First, he
asked the Senate to raise the
House approved appropriation
bill from $3.5 billion to the full
authorization of SAL billion. In
addition he asked for a new
authorization bill containing
$500 million for Latin America
and another $l00 million in the
contingent fund for emergen-
cieS like the Congo situation.
Chairman Fulbright of the
Senate Foreign Relations Com
mittee is due back from Arkan-
sas today to decide when his
committee will meet on the re-
quest for the new authorize
tions.
The Finance Committee may
meet tomorrow to begin con-
sideration of the medical care
controversy.
Nothing will happen on the
housing and school construc-
tion bills before next week, be-
cause the House will not recon-
vene until August Is. Both bills
have passed the Senate and are
in the hands of the House
Rules Committee.
Democrats will attempt to
show that the administration
could get action on housing
and school construction by
persuading some of the four
Republicans on the House
Rules Committee to get behind
those bills.
Senate leaders made the
Antarctic treaty the first order
OF business in the Senate, to be
followed later this week by the
minimum wage bill. The House
passed an increase from 81 to
$l.l5 in the minimum wage,
which Senate leaders will try
to boost to SIPS.