Congress' Week

Dogwood bloomed white and pink in Rock Creek Park and fishermen were out along the Potomac. Vacationing tourists were everywhere--swarming through the Capitol's dark corridors, leveling their cameras at the White House and the Washington Monument. In this fine spring atmosphere members of the House approved what was probably a peacetime record for one week's check-signing ($24 billion), then headed for home and a ten-day vacation. The Senate, far behind in its work, labored on.

In its habitually brisk fashion, the House extended EGA by a thumping 354 to 48 votes, quickly ironed out its differences with the Senate, and sent to the White House a bill authorizing $5,580,-000,000 -- substantially what ECAdministrator Paul Hoffman had asked.

In the past 3 1/2 months, the House had passed 364 public and private bills. Besides ECA and the arms budget, it had authorized reciprocal-trade extension, rent-control extension, executive reorganization, oleo tax repeal, and extension of export and allocation controls. It had passed every major appropriation bill for the regular departments--a chore Congress usually delays, then jams through in its harried closing minutes.

The most controversial measures in Harry Truman's program were still to be met. After the recess, the House would tackle the Administration's bill to repeal the Taft-Hartley Law. Administration strategists figured that a short visit with the home folks would win many Congressmen over to the Administration's side. Just to be sure, from A.F.L. and C.I.O. headquarters, orders went to locals all over the country. When Congressmen turned in the front gate, they would find delegations waiting on the front doorstep. A Democratic leader hopefully predicted: "We're going to pass a pretty good bill soon after they get back. You wait and see."

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