SHOOTOUT AT CLINCH RIVER 873 



Congress quietly omitted the provision the White House had so badly- 

 wanted to increase the price for uranium enrichment. When the White 

 House protested that uranium enrichment pricing as such had not been 

 the reason for the veto, the response came back from the committee 

 that this was part of the package. 



THE CRBR GETS A SUPPLEMENTAL TRANSFUSION 



While all the tumult and the shouting over the authorization bill 

 was going on, there was slipped into an $8 billion supplemental 

 appropriations bill a little matter of $80 million for the CRBR. This 

 $8 billion supplemental was loaded with many items which President 

 Carter wanted, especially the final death blow to the B-l bomber 

 which he had been fighting very hard to accomplish. The House had 

 taken the trouble to remove, by a vote of 252-165, a proviso which 

 would have prohibited any expenditure of the $80 million unless newly 

 authorized. Then when the conference committee got around to 

 approving the final version of that supplemental appropriations bill 

 early in 1978, lo and behold the $80 million was still there for CRBR 

 and there were no authorization strings attached to prevent the money 

 from being spent. Also, since Congress in its rebellion against "im- 

 poundments" of appropriated funds had all but outlawed that prac- 

 tice in 1974 law, it looked as though President Carter was stuck with 

 $80 million for the CRBR whether he wanted it or not. To clinch the 

 argument, the General Accounting Office came along with an opinion 

 indicating quite specifically that it would be illegal for President 

 Carter not to spend the $80 million. The GAO added the funds could 

 not be used to curtail or terminate the CRBR, nor could they be used 

 for some other breeder project except the CRBR. 



Some of the supporters of the CRBR, who had screamed bloody 

 murder at the interference of the GAO in presuming to offer an adverse 

 opinion on loan guarantees, now embraced the GAO report and pro- 

 claimed that they always realized that the Comptroller General, Elmer 

 B. Staats, was a fine, upstanding gentleman to be trusted to make a 

 sound judgment. 



As 1978 opened, the high noon shootout at Clinch River con- 

 tinued unabated. 



The first two shots were fired by President Carter and Mrs. Lloyd. 

 The President sent up his budget early in 1978 with only $13.4 million 

 for CRBR. 



Mrs. Lloyd stated: 



Our Committee intends to go ahead with funding for the breeder. I'm optimistic. 

 Things are looking better and better. 



