| Show Slash in Foreign Aid I At this writing no one can say for sure how much the Mutual Security Act spending authorization for the 1953 fiscal fiscal fiscal fis fis- cal year will finally be But it looks as asif asif if ii Congress is headed for the kind of compromise solution which is so often the result of the give take give take and deliberative deliberative deliberative operation of our system of govern govern- ment And we suspect that the final outcome outcome out out- come will not be too far off the right course President Truman initially asked Congress Congress Congress Con Con- gress for a appropriation That sum he tried to tell teU the Congress was inviolable It could not be pared one penny safely He even went so far as asto asto asto to say that Congress must give what we ask Well VeIl of course that was just plain silly And the presidential dictatorial rial attitude only succeeded in getting up the backs of many Congressmen who might under normal circumstances have been inclined to go along pretty well weIl with the President So in the House the Truman program was pared to quite a drastic reduction It may be that it was too much of a reduction At least the Senate Senat seemed to think so because it finally approved an aut authorization of The bill now goes to conference We Ve suspect the final figure will be closer to the Senates Senate's Senates Senate's Senates Senate's Sen Sen- ates ate's proposal than to that of the House of Representatives Too much of a slash in the program for foreign mi tary and economic aid might well be disastrous Europe espe espe- ci cia ly is at a critical juncture right now and anti will be for at least another year while efforts are made to implement the new pact bringing Western Germany into the North Atlantic alliance and make her a military partner of other Western European countries But to say that any administration spending program is sacrosanct and that Congress mustn't trim i it is louse Ious It is the responsibility and duty of Congress not the President to set the limits of governmental expenditure And it is today every bit as vital that Congress Congress Congress Con Con- gress act to protect the economic stability stability stability ity of the United States as to protect the political and military stability of Vestern Western West Vest em ern n Europa Europe |
