March 1, 1971
Page 4460
Mr. ELLENDER. Mr. President, I wonder if we could get an explanation from the chairman of this committee as to why it was necessary to increase the number of employees by 14. As I recall, sometime ago, I think the record shows that there was one committee divided in two. I wonder what became of that. Why was it necessary to provide 14 additional employees?
Mr. McCLELLAN. Mr. President, of the increase in staff, eight of the additionally requested staff on the Committee on Government Operations and its subcommittees are for the minority.
The minority members of the several subcommittees, as well as the minority members of the full committee who serve on these subcommittees, requested additional staff.
As an illustration, Mr. President, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, of which I am privileged to chair, put in a resolution for about the same level of expenditures as last year, adding, of course, the funds that were necessary for the 13-month period and also for the increase in salaries. That is the resolution we submitted. When it was considered by the full committee, the minority members offered an amendment for additional staff members for their purposes.
Mr. President, other minority members of the subcommittees made their cases before the full committee and befor the Committee on Rules and Administration.
Many of the investigations carried on by the investigating committee have saved the Government considerable sums of money.
On the contract for the TFX, we saved literally millions of dollars, because we disclosed facts about that plane which showed it did not measure up to its specifications. As a result, the Navy plane was canceled completely, and the procurement of the number of Air Force planes was reduced by two-thirds.
We now have pending or in process an investigation presided over by the distinguished Senator from Connecticut (Mr. RIBICOFF) as acting chairman, in which the committee has disclosed scandalous corruption among certain elements of the armed services abroad and in the services which we provide for our fighting men overseas.
Many other instances could be noted, Mr. President. I simply believe it unnecessary to argue our accomplishments based on our record of last year. I point out that we have returned $104,500 of what we had available to us last year.
I am speaking particularly with reference to the Subcommitte on Investigations. I could not argue against their having some additional staff. Heretofore, we have had minority staff representation, which has worked right along with the others. There has been no question as to whether he was a minority or a majority member of the staff. But it was felt at this time that there should be one or two members of the staff who should be directly responsible to the majority member of the staff.
But it was professional staff members and one clerical assistant, for a $55,000 increase.
This matter was taken up before the committee and in fact, the measure was amended. Upon still further consideration, I have asked for another $20,000 for professional staff members.
To illustrate the budgetary control under which we have in the past operated, I would like to point out that over a period of 4 years, Mr. President – and I shall place this information in the RECORD – the Select Committee on Labor-Management Relations received an appropriation of $2,088,000. The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation, over a period of 16 years, had appropriated to it $6,809,000. This latter amount, plus the $2 million I have already mentioned, makes a total appropriation of $8,897,841 under which these two committees operated. During this 16-year period, Mr. President, $865,989 was turned back to the Senate. In other words, we have turned back an average of 10 percent of all that has been appropriated to us. I do not know of any organization in the Federal Government which has been more productive for so modest an investment.
In one instance last year, we saved the Government $60 million on one Air Force contract. After the contract had been announced, we took it up with the Department of the Air Force, the Department reversed its position, received new bids, and saved $60 million on the contract.
If Senators will examine the record of amounts that we have returned over the years, I think they show conclusively that the committee has been economical. for we have traditionally operated on the basis of what is required to produce.
In this regard, we have not always had success. For example, sometimes we are misled, and are required to spend time in some months investigating matters that finally do not warrant or justify hearings.
All I can say to the Senator from Louisiana is that so far as the Subcommittee on Investigations is concerned, I concur with the minority in asking for additional staff members to help with the work, because the workload of Congress is increasing every day. The burden of work that each Senator carries increases with each session of Congress. Without sufficient staff, we cannot fulfill that responsibility.
I notice in the Chamber another subcommittee chairman, the distinguished Senator from Maine (Mr. MUSKIE), chairman of the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations. The subcommittee is occupied with a very heavy schedule of work. The same is true of all subcommittees.
I agree with the general objective of the Senator from Louisiana that we in this legislative body should set the tone and pace of the economy. But I also point out that the Government is growing. The budget request for fiscal year 1972 is $229 billion. If Congress is to exercise its responsibility and oversee the expenditure of these funds, it is imperative that we are equipped to do that job.
I do not believe we have asked for anything – I know that the Subcommittee on Investigations has not asked for anything – that is not absolutely needed. I will assure you, Mr. President, that if any funds are not needed, they will not be spent.
Mr. President, I shall be glad to yield to the distinguished Senator from Maine, chairman of the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations, if he wishes to make any comments.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Arkansas for yielding to me. I shall be glad to make some general observations and answer any questions that the distinguished Senator from Louisiana may wish to ask.
I should like to emphasize, as I am sure the distinguished Senator from Arkansas (Mr. McCLELLAN) has already pointed out, that in the year when reorganization of the Federal Government is a prime issue, the work of the Committee on Government Operations is inevitably involved to a greater extent than in a normal year. That is especially true of the Subcommittee on Reorganization and also the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations, which covers the whole broad area of grant-in-aid programs. Those programs are also subject to review and criticism on an ongoing basis. I think that is especially true when the President has proposed something as controversial and far-reaching as revenue sharing. So the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations is very much involved.
I think it might be helpful if I were to describe the workload of our committee. During the 91st Congress, the subcommittee held 61 hearings and handled 12 major bills. Two far-reaching measures, the Uniform Relocation Assistance Act and the Intergovernmental Personnel Act, were enacted. The subcommittee also acted upon an extraordinary number of reports – 16 in all – from the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, over which we have supervisory jurisdiction, and issued two studies of its own.
The subcommittee's responsibilities for the coming year may be the greatest in its history. A major portion of the President's program deals with intergovernmental revenue problems. We anticipate extensive hearings and legislative action on revenue sharing and Federal tax credit proposals. In addition, we expect to explore the inadequacy of Federal categorical grant programs, including legislation concerning grant consolidation, joint funding, uniform accounting, and regular program oversight; and, as a part of the broad review of FederalState revenue taxes and the impact of the proposed Federal revenue sharing on them are planned.
May I emphasize, Mr. President, that the Government Operations Committee is not a legislative committee. Our work is primarily that of investigation, monitoring, and oversight. That is the work which consumes most of our time.
Nevertheless, because of the growing emergence of legislative proposals in this field, we do have legislative work as well, two aspects of which we were concerned with last year, which I have referred to already in my remarks.
I think that the sums requested and the staffing requested are minimal in the light of the responsibilities which we face; so I support fully the presentation of the chairman (Mr. McCLELLAN), and am willing to answer any question the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. ELLENDER) may choose to put to us on the work of my subcommittee.