National Affairs: Economy Begins Elsewhere

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On the Senate side, it was all talk of saving money. By a vote of 37 to 36, the Senators whacked $300,000 from the President's executive budget, cut $50,000 from the $225,000 he had asked to finish renovating the White House. Then they knocked out 525 new cars which 12 Government agencies had planned to buy this year, forbade the agencies' bureaucrats to use chauffeurs for the cars they already had. Finally, the Senate chopped annual vacation time from 26 to 20 days for 1,900,000 civilian employees.

The House, though, was in no saving mood, for it was busy examining its own budget. By voice vote and without a dissenting murmur, the House laid out $22.8 million for itself and another $37.5 million for general congressional expenses. There was $20,000 to provide a new trunk and two wooden footlockers (an old custom) for each Representative; $2,000 for ice; funds for subsidized (50¢) haircuts; a $132,400 increase in the stationery allowance and a $700,000 increase in telephone and telegraph expenses; $199,500 for the Capitol Botanic Garden; $20,000 to complete the frieze around the inside of the Capitol dome. By the time the Senate adds its own expenses—the House always politely leaves that blank for the Senate to fill in—the total bill will hit close to $73 million, about $13 million more than this year.