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major portion of the spending reduction is in national security programs for which he recommended 3.8 billion dollars less than was allowed this year and 5.4 billion dollars les*s than was spent last year, and the big question is: Are ^e taking a dangerous, *ven though “calculated” risk in cutting our defense spending now, as we did in 1949 when we “guessed” that the Communists would not make the kind of move they subsequently made in Korea? The President gave reassurances ever made for atomic energy development, military aid to our allies and our continental defense and the largest expenditures of any year since World War II for air p«wer. I shall want more information before committing myself to this program, however, because of my deep concern over the international situation, especially as it is developing in Indo-China and other potential .trSubJe-spots.
In Government activities other than defense programs, the President recommended the expenditures of 2.2 billion dollars below what was spent last year and 1.5 below the latest estimates for this year, which means a reduction over the two year^ of around 25 per cent. The recom-« mended program contains, however, the#largest allowances ever made for. some domestic items and includes expenditures of more than a billion dollars for activities to be authorized by new legislation. This obviously means that much deeper cuts must be made in some other existing programs and our Appropriations Committee will have a heavy responsibility in seeing that a proper balance is preserved which will not wreck established programs that are now essentiaf.
I heartily agree, however, with the suggestion in the (budget message that necessity rather than mere desirability must be the test for our spending.
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