Masonry Magazine January 1967 Page. 52
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THIS NEW CONGRESS WON'T BE AS PRODUCTIVE as the past one in turning out legislation or breaking new ground. The President will not be pushing his Great Society programs with anything like the same old degree of vigor. And the Republicans, with the new strength in the House and Senate, will be looking carefully over what the White House has proposed. You'll find that even many Democrats will back limits on domestic spending as war costs rise. They want to see first how all those recently enacted programs are working.
It will be a noisy session, though. Politics will play a big and growing role as both parties focus increasingly on the 1968 elections. Many bills will be shaped or even killed in the course of the political maneuvering that will occur.
THE PRESIDENT IS ON THE DEFENSIVE
NOW. He no longer calls the tune. His loss of popularity in the opinion polls-confirmed by November's vote-has punctuated his earlier aura of invincibility. He will be defied openly. Johnson can still have his own way only on those matters related to the war. This would mainly involve questions about the level of defense expenditures.
The Republicans will try to share the initiative. They'll offer less costly programs of their own, to show a positive image. But, as the minority, they will be more successful in blocking measures they oppose, rather than in putting over their versions. They can still build a record, though.
Now-the outlook for key bills... still tentative because of the vagaries of war and the obscure business outlook.
CONGRESS WILL STAMP ITS OWN MARK ON
THE NEW BUDGET Johnson submits. It will accept his decision on defense spending with little modification. This means that outlays for Viet Nam will rise $5 to $7 billion over 1966, on top of the very substantial supplemental that Johnson is now requesting. But expenditures for non-defense programs will be slashed wherever possible.
The Great Society welfare programs will make little progress in 1967. Some like education and the War on Poverty won't get all the "second round" increases originally promised.
JOHNSON'S REQUEST FOR TAX INCREASES
WILL GET CLOSE SCRUTINY from the Republicans and from many Democrats as well. liberals plus conservatives. They don't want to leave themselves open to a charge of not backing the war. But they will make an effort to lower the deficit by their spending cuts in the last-ditch hope that the requested 6% surcharge can somehow be avoided.
CONGRESS WILL PUSH A START ON A MA-
JOR ANTI-MISSILE PROGRAM this year. Many lawmakers wanted to get going a long time ago. But, heretofore. Defense Secretary McNamara has opposed the $30 billion cost as unjustified. Now, there is evidence Moscow has launched such a program on a big scale-a move that would upset the balance of power. So the U.S. must follow suit.
Johnson must make a hard decision, because big outlays would wreck his Budget. In the end, there'll be money for speeded design work and ordering parts that require long-lead times. Peak costs of the six-year program won't hit for a full year.
ONE HEARS OF REINSTATING THE 7% IN-
VESTMENT CREDIT-not just now, but maybe before Congress quits this summer. It goes back on next January, automatically. But Johnson may ask for action sooner if business dips more. The need to curb inflation is shrinking. Stimulation may again be in order. Congress could move quite quickly... just by passing a very simple resolution.
THIS WILL BE A BIG YEAR FOR SOCIAL SE-
CURITY CHANGES-a banner year. Indeed, improvements in old age benefits may be this Congress' big monument. Johnson first suggested action. But the (continued on page 61)
MASONRY.
January, 1967