TABLE VIII.—The 1948 budget-Comparison of estimates of Federal budget expenditures for the fiscal year 1948, as shown in 1948 budget documents-Con. NOTE.-Figures do not necessarily add to totals because of rounding. 1 Shown as anticipated supplemental in 1948 budget document. Shown under proposed legislation in 1948 budget document. * Includes $75,000,000 shown under proposed legislation in 1948 budget document. Mr. WEBB. Between January 1947 and January 1948 the military expenditures were reduced downward from $11,256,000,000 to $10,746,000,000, or a reduction of $510,000,000. The first item of the Army and air defense was due largely to congressional action and inability to recruit. I would say of that $322,000,000, probably half of it was due to congressional action and half of it to inability to recruit up to authorized strength. I could go down through the two pages of this statement and give you that kind of information if you wish. Senator TAFT. That is printed in the House records? Mr. WEBB. No, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Is is about two pages of records? Mr. WEBB. Yes, sir. (See table VIII, p. 79.) The CHAIRMAN. Would you object to having it put in the record? Mr. LUCAS. I want it in the record if I may have it, Mr. Chairman, but I would like to have the final answer on the difference between the President's estimate and what your records finally show that we spent. (The information requested is as follows:) TABLE IX.-Changes in the 1948 budget-January-December 1947 Includes reappropriations and appropriations to liquidate contract authorizations. Totals may not add because of rounding. Mr. WEBB. Do you wish me to pick it out now? Senator LUCAS. Have you not the total figures now? The President said he wanted $37,528,000,000. The Congress cut that down. But I am wondering whether or not, after all, if we did not spend just about as much as the President requested. Have you that figure! Mr. WEBB. The estimate shows an increase of about $200,000,000. But there are many variations within the total and that was what I meant to indicate here. For instance, the foreign-aid program shows an increase of $2,000,000,000 in that year. Now, as to just which of those were initiated by the President, and the particular modifications made by Congress, would take some effort. I could supply a statement without too much delay. Senator BYRD. That is the total recommendation of the President for the fiscal 1948 for expenditure in fiscal 1948. That will give us a basis to go on. You have a total budget of $37,528,000,000 and sup plementals. Senator TAFT. You gave as supplemental $3,116,000,000. That is appropriations. How do you figure expenditures against those? That is what I would like to get. Senator BYRD. I think we ought to get first what the President recommended in all, supplemental, deficiency, and regular budget. And then figure against that what was actually appropriated, and then see whether the Republicans deserve credit for the economy or the Democrats. I do not believe there is very much economy in it. Senator TAFT. You said the President asked for $37,500,000,000. He subsequently asked, you said, for supplemetals of $3,116,000,000. Does that include both the last session and the special session, when it was about a billion dollars, and also those made about for this current fiscal year? Is that right? Mr. WEBB. Yes. Senator, the thing that is causing me trouble Senator TAFT. That is a total of $40,600,000,000, whereas you are actually going to spend $37,700,000,000. So we are going to spend $3,000,000,000 less, it seems, than you estimated. Is that a correct statement? Mr. WEBB. Senator, some of those are duplications. (See table VII, p. 77 and table IX, p. 82.) Then there is another item which I am having a little trouble with, and that is revisions of estimates under going programs which were not reflected by either Presidential action or congressional action, such as estimates of the number of veterans who would take certain amounts of training. Senator TAFT. I can calculate this if you can reduce your Presidential supplemental things to expenditures. My criticism of the argument I just made to you is that the $3,116,000,000, I take it, is supplemental appropriations requested, or is it supplemental expenditures requested? Mr. WEBB. They are the appropriations. Senator TAFT. We have no figure to show what kind of expenditures that were contemplated in fiscal 1948. I think your statement, that Senator Millikin originally asked for, ought to show that as to each item broken down. I want to show how your expenditure budget for 1948 has been changed by all these things, your original estimate. We have cut some of that down. You are going to spend $37,700,000,000. I do not know how much less that is than your estimate of expenditures. Mr. WEBB. I have an estimate in my hand that starts with the figures of appropriations requested in January 1947 submission, which was $31,292,000,000. Now, with about 10 different changes, involving both congressional actions, changes in estimates, additional submissions by the President, we wind up with total requested appropriations of $39,813,000,000. Mr. Weldon Jones, the head of our Fiscal Division, can give you complete information about that statement, how it was made up and the items in it, if you would like them to, Senator. Senator TAFT. You are confusing appropriations with expenditures again. If we are going to stick on expenditures let us stick on expenditures, and reduce your information to that. Mr. WEBB. I can give you the expenditure figure opposite each of the appropriations also. The expenditures start with $37,528,000,000 and end with $37,727,000,000 an increase of $200,000,000. Senator TAFT. It would have been more than that if we Had appropriated everything you asked for, and estimated in your estimate of expenditures. Mr. WEBB. That is right. Senator TAFT. That has been reduced. Who is responsible for reducing it? (See table IX, p. 82.) Senator BYRD. You have your first recommendation of $37,528,000,000 of expenditure. Is that correct? Mr. WEBB. That is right. Senator BYRD. That is expenditure in fiscal 1948. Add to that all the further recommendations of the President, not for appropriations, but for expenditure in 1948. Mr. WEBB. That is right. Senator BYRD. Take the total of that and then take the total of appropriations and see what the difference is, all expenditures. Mr. WEBB. I can give you that figure. Would you like it now? Senator BYRD. Yes. Mr. WEBB. On an expenditure basis the first 1948 budget submission was $37,528,000,000. Under amendments to the budget through December, including both appropriations and contract athorizations, additional expenditures of $1,044,000,000 Senator BYRD. Is that what the President requested? Mr. WEBB. Requested by the President. That is $1,044,000,000. Senator TAFT. How could it be that? We had a billion dollars alone in the special session for the European temporary relief and the increase in German occupation. Those alone, without all the additional that came in the last session, and the more than half billion dollars requested in the President's budget. Mr. WEBB. That is the next item on my statement. This first figure was made up, you understand, prior to the regular session. This was made up the 1st of January. Senator TAFT. I beg your pardon. Mr. WEBB. I have here the second item anticipated supplemental recommendations to be submitted to the second session of the Congress, $7,627,000,000. Senator BYRD. Not for expenditure in fiscal 1948? Mr. WEBB. Not entirely. Senator BYRD. What we are trying to do is to find out what the President recommended for expenditures in fiscal 1948, what the Republican Congress did toward authorizing that, then we can determine if there has been any economy and if there is who deserves the credit for it. Mr. WEBB. Let me give you that item on the expenditure basis, based on both the appropriations and contract authorizations. Senator BYRD. Do not mix it up with appropriations and contract authorizations. That is very confusing to the public mind and to everybody else. Mr. WEBB. Those were the President's submissions. Senator BYRD. I understand. When he submitted it he said how much was going to be spent in fiscal 1948. That is the figure we want. Mr. WEBB. Add to the $1,044,000,000 a figure of $900,000,000. Senator LUCAS. What is that for? Mr. WEBB. The entire fiscal year 1948. Senator BYRD. All that money he recommended to be spent in fiscal 1948? Mr. WEBB. That is right. Senator BYRD. Is that the total of it? Mr. WEBB. Yes, sir; $1,945,000,000. That is a total of- Senator LUCAS. Let us get the first session first. Senator BYRD. What is there going to be authorized that the President asked to be expended in the fiscal year 1948 at this session? Mr. WEBB. To make this statement complete, I have to give you the revisions due to changes between fiscal years in program outlook. The changes in the 1947 appropriations which Senator BYRD. First let us get the recommendations for new expenditures in this present session to be expended in fiscal 1948. What is that? The CHAIRMAN. Senator Byrd, would you mind if in addition to what you have asked for, they did the same thing for fiscal 1947 and '48 and as far as we have gone, fiscal 1949? In other words, the President's extension of requests for expenditures in those fiscal years after the original budget was submitted? Mr. WEBB. Right. (The information requested is as follows:) For 1947, see statement on page 76. For 1948, see tables VII, VIII, and IX, pages 77, 79, and 82. For 1949, supplemental estimates submitted to date are within the estimates included in the 1949 budget. Senator BREWSTER. Mr. Chairman, before he leaves-I assume he will be back in the morning? The CHAIRMAN. In the morning? Senator BREWSTER. Illustrating the point which you have made as to certain elements of instability in this matter of estimates, I assume even he does not claim omniscience. I have been fascinated by the variance in your estimates. I assume in the European situation they must be even more unstable because of the pressure. I have before me your budget of a year ago, in which there was an actual appropriation of $45,000,000 for airports. You estimated an expenditure of $4,000,000. Now I have the current budget, in which you actually spent less than $600,000 although you estimated $4,000,000. In other words, on an appropriation you estimated an expenditure of 10 percent, you actually realized an expenditure less than 20 percent of what you estimated. Meanwhile, you have gone blithely ahead and have got now $77,000,000 appropriated and you are asking for $40,000,000 more. You estimate now, for this current year, $21,000,000, although a year ago you estimated $30,000,000. In other words, I think it simply illustrates that it is very difficult for you to anticipate what is going to happen in any given situation, certainly where any contingencies are involved. |