NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 471 



Enactment of H.R. 2218 would give appropriate recognition and 

 emphasis to the growing importance of oceanography. The bill es- 

 tablishes congressional policies and intent with respect to oceanography 

 and assigns clear-cut responsibilities to the President for carrying 

 out these policies and reporting on plans and progress to the Congress. 



Under the provisions of H.R. 2218, however, the President retains 

 essential flexibility to develop those administrative and organizational 

 arrangements which he believes will assist him most effectively in 

 carrymg out the responsibilities assigned to him by the Congress, and 

 in accomplishing the purposes of the act. 



The need for flexibility in establishing coordinating arrangements 

 ■was stressed by President Jolinson in his message transmitting Re- 

 organization Plan No, 4 of 1965 to the Congress. 



Reorganization Plan No. 4 abolished nine statutory boards, councils, 

 and interagency committees and transferred their functions either to 

 the President or a designated official. 



The President emphasized that we must have — 



the capacity for fast flexible response to changing needs imposed by changing 

 circumstances. 



He noted further that : 



As Government grows more complex and programs increasingly cut across 

 agency lines, we must exercise special care to prevent the continuance of obsolete 

 interagency committees and other coordinating devices which waste time and 

 delay action and the undue proliferation of new committees, 



Mr. Chairman, I might add that in developing Reorganization Plan 

 No. 4, we found that some of these bodies wiiich have been created by 

 the statute never met because they were not suited to executive branch 

 needs and organization, I think this illustrates the difficulty we have 

 with a number of bills before this committee. 



Others such as the National Housing Council have not met since 

 1961, so the creation of a statutory interagency coromittee does not 

 necessarily achieve the objective if it is not suited to the arrangements 

 which are required within the executive branch. 



Mr. Lennon. I do not mean to have you digress from your state- 

 ment, but if it is a statutory committee, created by a statute, and it did 

 not meet, then it is clearly the fault of the executive that the statutory 

 committee did not meet ; is that not true ? 



Mr. Seidman. No. 



Mr. LENNOisr. Wliy not? 



Mr, Seidman. I would not agree, Mr. Chairman. It did not meet 

 because 



Mr, Lennon". There was no need for it. 



Mr. Seidmajst. No useful purpose to be served by the committee 

 meeting. 



Mr. LENisroN-. Even though they may sign a bill into law, then, the 

 executive makes the determination that it will flamit the will of the 

 Congress in creating the statutory committee which the President 

 signed into law by failing to carry out the responsibilities in admm- 

 istering the law. 



What function does the executive have except to administer the law 

 which is passed by the Congress which the President signs ? 



I resent this implication that once the President affixes his signature 

 to a bill that through the Bureau of the Budget or any other agency of 



