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Show WASHINGTON members of the economy forces in Congress pledge themselves to cooperate in every way possible with President Eisenhower in eliminating nonessential non-essential government activities in order to help pay for increased in-creased defense spending which he has requested. While advocating whatever amount of spending that is essential for national safety they still think that total i Government expenditures are too . . high and should be trimmed In every feasible manner. They do not support all of Mr. Elsenhower's spending requests (far from It), yet they are encouraged en-couraged by several aspec's of the administration's fiscal program pro-gram outlined in messages to congress. One of Eisenhower's statements state-ments they applaud Is that "it is necessary that every possible economy be effected In o'her defense de-fense activities to help offset the Increased costs of the high priority programs." Mr. Eisenhower also was cheered cheer-ed for abandoning or postponing some domestic programs (such as federal aid for school construction), con-struction), curtailing expansion of ofhers, and recommending the transfer of greater responsibility responsibili-ty from the Federal Government to state and local governments or to private Individuals or enterprises. While members of the economy bloc were pleased by these developments, de-velopments, It must be added that they think considerable more progress could and should be made in this direction. Feeling Feel-ing this way, they urge a continuance contin-uance of the grass-roots rebellion rebel-lion against waste and extravagance extrava-gance in government spending that started a year ago after submission sub-mission to Congirss of the Administration's Ad-ministration's $71.8 billion spend, ing budget for the present fiscal year ending next June 30. The budget presented to Congress Con-gress this week for the fiscal year starting next July 1 calls for net expenditures of $73.9 billion, bil-lion, with defense spending up $4 billion over the current year, and a reduction In some other areas. This Increase In defense spending spend-ing requires a real campaign for savings wherever possible, in the opinion of members of the congressional con-gressional economy bloc. And. they explain, that support from back home is essential if It is to succeed. They contend that Mr. Eisenhower Eisen-hower needs all the support he can get ior his economy efforts since a determined effort is be-Ing be-Ing made by some members of Congress to convince the public that the President is a penny-pinching penny-pinching miser in defense spending spend-ing at a time when (they claim) untold billions of additional spending is required. The same campaign Is being waged with respect to non-defense activities by those whose only solution for almost any type of problem is higher and highter government spending, re-gardless re-gardless of need or the ability to use more money advantageously. advantageous-ly. This effort is certain to be intensified in-tensified as the November Congressional Con-gressional elections approach. |