| Show Bruckart's Washington Digest Congress 1 Avoids voids Vital Pi And l Seeks Early Adjournment Curtailment of Expenditures and New Tax Program Arc Are Neglected by hy Legislators Because of 19 1910 10 National Elections Uy By WILLIAM 1 UNU Service National Press Washington I D. D C. C WASHINGTON Wh When n the third session of the sixth Seventy congress con gress the current session Con Convened con convened v ned last January two great national national na na- na questions confronted the leg leg- Two affirmative actions were crying to be taken These were curtailment of expenditures to live within the governments government I Income and an Increase in taxes to make a start toward paying payin off ofT the greatest debt this nation ever has known Each was vital Of the two the curtailment of Ip spending probably was wal the more important but each qu question was a political bomb Inasmuch Inas much as 1940 happens to be a year of national elections Almost four months of the session have wast wasted d away after the manner manner man man- ner of passing time The two problems of January and February February ary and March tarch and April remain as the problems of May Hay Now I believe It can be said that there will be an art adjournment adjourn ment early In June 4 without anything having been done beyond lip service and Just plain dema William In other words the rather long title title the the third session of the sixth Seventy congress congress can can well be shortened to nothing do congress A hurried lookaround look a reexamination exam re of what has transpired seems to show where the blame should be placed It should be plumped in the laps of some demagogues dema who wear titles of lena senators ton tonof of the United States Lest this look be characterized as too hurried let me say lay that the house membership Is not entirely guiltless But Dut credit must roust be given where credit Is II due and the house sis a unit really made something of S an effort to reduce the deluge of dollars dollan that has hal come to be a silver silverstream silverstream stream to voters It made some lome cuts not cuts not nearly enough but some some some- in spending It did not do a thing however In the matter of laying new taxes to help reduce the national debt It dodged those thole taxes like they were poison Taxes and appropriations of course must originate In the house under the terms of the Constitution and so th the house must answer for at least a part of the sin of the session House Houte Attempted Reduction In Federal Appropriation To give the house the credit that was its share however It must be shown that the house appropriations committee thus far has haa reduced appropriations appropriations ap ap- ap- ap submitted by President Roosevelt In the sum lum of odd 30 million The senators sitting smugly smug smut ly at the north end of the nations nation capitol building already have put putS S buck beck of the amount and there is more certain to come After the system and the manner of operations I may be expected expected ex that there will be compromises compromises compromises compro compro- between the senate and house on their differences and so 10 the net result of the bunk on economy for this session will be a huge 0 Even where the house bouse has tried seriously seriously seriously se se- se- se to reduce spending the senate senate sen en ate has blocked It The condition provides a rather accurate reflection of the up make-up of the two houses housel of congress The house members member have become nervous nervous nerv nerv- ous about the spending policies Something like two-thirds two of the I house membership can be called conservative as distinguished from New Dealers In the senate however how ever the story is different That body is predominantly controlled by bythe bythe bythe the New Deal type of thinking and spending Is It its I forte torte So the country spent a lot of money mon mono ey paying its Hs legislature last winter and it is II left holding the bag bag bag-an an astoundingly empty bag because bag because a group of lena senators ton and such luch house members as IS still IWI hold on to the New Deal for political salvation refuse to turn of oI the spigot in the walls of the United States treasury Anyone can trace through the tho items of spending put back In appropriation bills bill by the senate and find the answer an namely votes There are plenty of house members who ho ho would have done the same thing thinK except that their colleagues shamed them into having some old fashioned sense about affairs of the nation New Request for lor or Relief Now Made by White house Houte President Roosevelt Is playing ball with the spenders as 81 usual April seems to be a good month for the spenders Each year In April there have been White House requests for more spending money This year a request for an en additional for tor relief payments already has reached the house from the President dent It is money which the President President dent says Is needed to carry through the relief program to the end of the fiscal year which Is July 1 Last year yar the relief appropriation was figured to be sufficient but the money money money mon mon- ey got away somehow So there Is the call for tor more for the next two months But Dut that Is not all The President Is asking for a a billion and a half half for for relief payments I through the fiscal year of 1941 which I begins July 1 I dont don't know whether I the house members are going to have the courage to reduce that i amount to or Dr not because be cause all of ot Mr Roosevelt's statements statements state state- ments about the needs have been designed de signed to muster voting strength on his side Also these statements attack at tack business as not doing its part which Is a theme that sounds strangely familiar I think we have heard it at least a dozen times Anyway in the view of the spenders spend ers era In the New Deal business has failed tailed absolutely to employ workers after seven leven years of ot planned economy economy my and idealistic thinking As AI to this business of ot planned economy Secretary Wallace and his department of agriculture people are asking for big gobs of money It was they acting through stooges In Inthe Inthe Inthe the senate who struck the biggest blow at whatever ideas the house had lad on saving money I do not blame the farmers If It they can get money handed to them free tree and for nothing why not take It IL The stupidity Is on the part of Mr Wallace Wallace Wal Wal- lace and his crew They do not seem to realize that the farmers are taking the money and laughing about the new found sucker In Washington Wash ington who ho is trying to get extra this time Debt and Tax Problem Problems Have Haue Been Avoided Now as to the matter of taxes It will be recalled that President Roosevelt told the house early Inthe Inthe in inthe the session lenlon that th there re had to be new taxes or a raising of the debt limit If congress spent more money than the budget estimates He Jle suggested suggest suggest- ed that the taxes must offset any spending that he had not mended house ways and means committee looked over the situation There were half halt a II dozen of the committee members who wanted to start laying new taxes to cut down the national debt They argued that the Interest on the debt being well over a billion dollars a year would be reduced as a burden if it the debt Itself were reduced But Dut something happened There was nothing more heard about laying new taxes either from President Roosevelt or from the leaders of the ways and means committee In consequence of this policy or rather lack of decision to act in obtaining ob taming new revenue there Is just justas as much chance for a start to a balancing of the budget this year as 81 there is for a snowball to grow larger largo larg er in the nether regions Come to of it there hasn't been any talk about budget balancing In recent recent re re- cent weeks week I. I I reckon the war in Europe made responsible officials forget about such minor matters as BI having the nation live within its in In- come All of these things have happened In the face of a conviction by students stu dents of business within the New Deal that the coming summer is not one to which we can look forward for ward with satisfaction The volume of business has hal been falling tailing off Last years year's profits produced taxes that are now being paid and the tax receipts receipts receipts re re- re- re have been larger than was expected But Dut if It business is slow this summer what hat about tax receipts receipts re re- re- re by the federal government that are payable next year All AU In all therefore it strikes me that we cannot do very much congratulating con of the third session of the sixth Seventy congress The President still maintaining silence on the question whether he be will wW seek seeka a third term has not done a single lingle thing to whip the legislative leaders Into line for action on these predominantly pre dominantly important national ques |
