The Rains of Appropriations

Warned Senator Paul Douglas: "The rains of appropriations are beginning to descend. Pretty soon the waters of inflation--unless we do something to stop them--will burst upon the nation." Back in his old corner, the Illinois Senator was pleading once again for Government economy. He was talking in particular about a pork-laden Rivers and Harbors bill that was before the Senate, but he included all federal spending in his admonitions. According to Douglas' estimates, the Government may very well incur a "staggering deficit of $19 billion" next year.

The Senate was not listening to Douglas. The House had already cut $126 million out of the Administration's original budget request for rivers and harbors. After rejecting three amendments which would have shaved the bill $25 million, the Senate passed it at more than $500 million.

Other appropriation bills which had been held up by months of wrangling and were already six weeks overdue from the July 1 deadline began to spew out of the legislative machine. Congress passed and sent to the White House: $6.1 billion for a score of independent Government agencies (e.g., RFC, TVA, VA), $725 million for the Department of Agriculture, $511 million for the Department of Interior, $2.5 billion for the Labor Department and the Federal Security Agency.

The House, getting ready for two weeks' vacation, also passed a military and naval construction bill of $5.7 billion--adding to the $56 billion arms bill it had passed the week before. In the only impressive display of moneysaving, the House reduced the Administration's $8.5 billion foreign aid bill by $1 billion, sent it on to the Senate. This was the biggest cut in funds the House has made yet--and the most shortsighted in the Administration's view.

Total appropriations acted upon last week: almost $24 billion.

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