Show Asia War Poses Problems For Congress by Congressman Curton Some of the major majol battles of the Congress are now being fought and others will take place within the next few weeks There has been a lot lotof lotof of scenes thc scenes preparatory preparatory tory work going on for some sometime time ironing out kinks in Ills bills lining up votes otes selling un- un undecided decided or 01 reluctant congress men on programs but things are lre now at a make break make or break for many key legislative items The real history of the arom accomplishments lack of or accomplishments accomplishments of the present sess- sess tun is now being written Hillen AND FIGURING prominently m In this history of course cours is the war in Vietnam This pant pa t week the number of Americans k killed in Vietnam reached till the figure Almost iO OO have ha len been wounded with wilh reported missing and WI CliP cap lured This is according to figures released by tIll the Pe De toI I part lent of Defense And with no end to the war in sight no noone noone one can foretell just how many more will be added to the cas- cas casually lists While there are arc those in Con Con- Congress Congress gress who ho oppose in varying t degrees the American involve involve- involvement ment in Vietnam there is om agreement on Capitol Hill that we must expend every eelY cr- cr fort to see that our fighting Ilg men in that country are arc back dup up with adequate supplies and equipment So fur far this has hasI I d the expenditure of a avast avast vast amount of money And it itis itis is going to require much more yet GENERAL Westmoreland has to the Pre President dent that the number of Ameri can troops in Vietnam be in in- in increased creased crease to At the pre sent time we sae Isaac ha men there If the Generals General's recommendation is adopted and there is reason iason to 10 believe that it will be the cost rOSt in dollars for fighting the war n ill in iii crease by some 15 15 bi billion Ilion u a year The estimated budget for defense purposes for fiscal 1968 is billion This is an increase of billion in just two years Add to that another 45 billion as General West West- Westmoreland's moreland's recommendation will require require and the cost iu iuM ii M money alone not to mention lives becomes truly stag stag- goring gering It II is quite likely that deficit in the federal budget for the 1968 fiscal year will be around 18 billion But that figure high as it is does not take lake into ac acI count the added costs of In an even en greater troop 1 build up The total deficit will easil easily ex- ex reed ed 20 billion if our forces force Ire are up to the lie GOODnO fig ure ta c Gl has requested IT IS NO secret that many of ofus ofus us both here in Congress and andin andin in the county It at large are arc just how we are go go- go going ing to meet these increasingly high costs an and keep the budget within reasonable balance The I President however apparently does docs not agree with wilt this point of view and anu is pushing ahead with all of his domestic spend spend- spending ing proposals of the high cost of the war It II is these proposals that arc now at the make break stage that 1 mentioned above The first casualty among them occurred this past week The house on Wednesday voted vOled to to delete I the he 10 0 million item for an expanded rent sub sub- subsidy sidy program from the for the of Housing and Urban Develop Develop- Development ment The Administration ori asked for 40 10 million for this purpose but the house Appropriations Committee cut this figure to 10 mullion which in turn was rejected by the House itself THIS SHOWDOWN on rent subsidies was the worst defeat for the Great Society in three years Actually the amount of money honey involved is not large lurge when viewed in terms of the overall costs of the war But it is my view and that of many of my colleagues that we have simply got to face up to the problems of financing the war program was a good place to start I predict that there will willbe willbe be more such showdowns with similar results in the next few weeks |