AORKILTURAL AIMMinpUIATION BIM^ H»24. 379 



S(» tliat (In- Statrs. or all (lir Stairs, will liav«» t«» Uv prf|>nr«'<| anil 

 ready to suhinit to thr StTrrtury of A^rir'tiltiirr a propomiion for tlie 

 iinprov(MiuMit of [xihlic lii^liways, arul you must l>r rendv to do it 

 within this liscal vrur in order to hold our authoritv to appropriate 

 the rest of the .•$(•.."..(»()((.()()(). 



Mr. MAtDoNAi.i). in or<ler to he ahle to annwer that (pieMtion 

 et>rrc('tly. I would have to know if that is the view|)oint of this <-oni- 

 niittee toward such an authorization. I was jjoin^ on the theory 

 that if tlu' SCi."). ()()(), 0(10 is apportioned as the authority wouhl he 

 ^iven tnxler this act, and a considt-rahle portion of iIm" Stntrs will 

 aetuallv {)la<e their full apportionments, or their full share of the 

 apportionment, under contract, and that the S«»eretnrv approves 

 their projects, or if. say. half of the Slates di<l that within the liseal 

 y«>ar, then the remainder of the .?<).'>. 000. 000 nnist h»' ap|)roj)riated 

 either durin«; the fiscal year or durinjj tlu* following fiscal year, tir 

 else we hrcak faith with the halanc*' of the States. 



Mr. IJrciiANA.N. That is true; it uiusl be either durintj the fiscal 

 year or the follow in"; tiscal year, hut suppose it is not ohlii;ated during 

 the fiscal year, will Contjress then have the power to approf)riate 

 under that orii;inal act authorizing !?()'), 000, 000 for this fiscal year ^ 



Mr. MAtDo.NALi). I am a.ssumin^ that Congress will have, having 

 authorized the Secretary to enter into contractual ohlii^ations. 



Mr. BrcHANAN. They must actually enter into contracts. 



Mr. Andkhson. But not within the fiscal year, necessarily. 



Mr. BicjiANAN. You may ht* ri»^ht about that. 



Mr. Jump. This mornint; \lr. MacDonald and I raised that tjuestion 

 with General Lord, and he called in Judj^e Warwick, the former 

 ('om|)troller of the United States, who is now a member of the Budjjet 

 staff. While it was recofjnized that the (piestion was solely one per- 

 taining to the rules of the House, concerninfj which the executive 

 officers of the (lovernment are not authorized or com|)etent to ride, 

 the opinion of .Iud<;e Warwick, informally expressed to us, of course, 

 was tiiat this proviso in the estimates al)()ut the SU.jjOOO.OOO appor- 

 tionment and subse(|uent obligations to be entered into uncier it 

 would perpetuate the authority to report out appropriations in later 

 fiscal years, whereas the original act, as we understand your view of 

 it. might not do it. 



Mr. Andeksox. Kntirely aside from the question of the time it is 

 obligated, my impression is tliat where Congrt'ss has autliorized the 

 Government to enter into an obligation, and that obligation lias been 

 entered into as a fixed continuing work, under our ndes no (juestion 

 would arise under this provision at all. I do not think any question 

 would arise under it at all. 



Mr. Jimp. In other words, it does not seem that Congress would 

 authorize the Secretary of Agriculture immediately upon the passage 

 of this act to apportion the full authorizaticm of .?().'). 000, 000 among 

 the States and tluMi do other than iionor the obligation. regardh»ss 

 of whether the fiscal year had expired or not. 



Mr. BrcHAXAN. I do not know what would be the construction of 

 this lantruatre, but 1 do not believe that this provision extends one 

 iota the j)ower of (\)ngress to a|)proj)rMite under this authorization 

 unless the j)rojects have been approved within the time that ('ongri>« 

 authorizes the making of the appropriation. 



Mr. Jimp. That is the whole (juestion. 



