National Affairs: Half a Loaf

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No matter how thin it is sliced, 1957 has been a half-baked congressional year. Accordingly, the Eisenhower Administration could hardly expect more than a half-loaf mutual security bill—and that, last week, was precisely what it was getting. A conference committee compromised differences between House and Senate foreign-aid bills by cutting them right down the middle.

President Eisenhower had asked Congress to authorize a $3,864,410,000 foreign-aid program for fiscal 1958 and, in a vital and farseeing change from past policy, had asked authority to spread $2 billion in repayable loans to underdeveloped countries over a three-year period. This departure from year-to-year development programing would be more efficient, less expensive, and would encourage underdeveloped nations to set up sound, well-planned projects.

But in the yeastless days of the 1957 budget spree, the House authorized only $3,116,833,000 for mutual security and insisted that the old year-to-year development programing be continued. The Senate, less obdurate, approved $3,617,333,000 for the entire program and upheld the President's three-year development-loan request. Last week's conference committee simply split the difference: it authorized a $3,366,000,000 program (still to come: the actual congressional appropriations) and settled for a two-year spread on development loans ($500 million the first year, $625 million the next). Commented the New York Times on the half a loaf result: "The best that can be said for the conference bill is that it could have been worse. One can only hope that it will not cost us much more than the cut has 'saved.' "

Last week the Congress also:

> Passed, in the Senate, an appropriations bill larger than the Administration had requested. It was, predictably, for public works, which pay off in terms of votes back home. The House had cut $61.6 million from the Administration's $876,453,000 request, but the Senate, by an 85 to 1 (Illinois' Democratic Senator Paul Douglas) vote, shouted through a bill calling for $7,698,323 more than the Administration had budgeted. Next step: House and Senate must get together on their figures.

>Approved, in the House, 329 to 58, an 11% pay raise for about 1,000,000 Government employees (including some 6,000 legislative employees). With a cost estimate of $530 million a year, the hike would average out to more than $500 per employee. Next steps: Senate action, probably cutting the raise to around 7%, then a possible veto by President Eisenhower, who has opposed the increase as inflationary.

> Voted, in the House, for a $336,851,000 Atomic Energy Commission authorization, but rejected a Democratic-sponsored provision calling for a $55 million atomic-power plant-building program. This was considered a victory for the Eisenhower Administration's partnership program, under which atomic-power plants would be built by private firms, assisted by the Federal Government.