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Show McKay Joins Congress Response to Funding Cuts Rural and Western Congressmen met this week in reaction to pro-grain pro-grain cuts announced by the Department of Agriculture. Ag-riculture. Congressman Gunn McKay, distressed bv the announcement and the effect these cuts will have in Utah, joined his colleagues in seeking ways to reinstate these programs. "The first thing we agreed on," McKay said, "was to gain bi-partisan support. The programs cut affect all farmers and rural homeowners, and I think there is concern among Republicans as well as Democrats. I have signed a letter call-in call-in g on all of my colleagues col-leagues of both parties to participate in a meeting meet-ing this week.'' McKay said the meeting meet-ing was called to respond to a press converence announced by Secretary o'" Agriculture Earl Butz. Since Christmas, funds have been frozen for the Rural Environmental Assistance Program, the Farmers Home Assistance Assist-ance emergency loans have been curtailed, and two per cent loans thru the Rural Electrification Association and the Rural Ru-ral Telephone Association Associa-tion have been replaced. Besides helping to organize or-ganize bi-partisan support, sup-port, the Congressmen agreed to co-sponsor legislation le-gislation which would limit li-mit what they called "the setting of priorities by faceless and nameless bureaucrats." The bill drafted called for Senate Sen-ate confirmation of the Director of the Bureau of the Budget. "I feel the President is entirely within his Constitutional rights to have aides who do not appear before the Senate for confirmation,'' McKay Mc-Kay said. "But the Office Of-fice of Management and Budget has grown from its original status as a bookkeeping body to one which formulates policy. I feel that OMB had a role in these cits in ag- riculture and rural programs, pro-grams, and those who exercise ex-ercise that kind of au thority should have. approval of the le?H' tive branch." ' J |
