This is Congressman Bob Dole with my regular weekly radio report from Washington. I certainly wish to thank the station again for using our broadcast as a public service feature.

Right now, of course, as you know we're in the Easter recess, so there's some doubt as to what we recess from since we've been here about four months and have accomplished practically nothing. I think from talking with people who've been here many, many years, this is one of the slowest sessions of Congress that any of these so-called “Old-Timers” can recall. We've met very few times as far as on important bills were concerned, and actually, as we are in the Easter recess, we've accomplished — as far as I'm concerned — nothing that will benefit the taxpayers of this country.

We did pass the so-called Accelerated Public Works Bill, which may, of course, stimulate the economy, but some of us doubt this because many of us believe — and sincerely believe — that you cannot stimulate the economy, nor can you restore confidence that the taxpayer in what we're doing in Washington by spending more and more of his tax money. And certainly, when we are facing probably the largest deficit in peacetime in the history of this country, we should think a little about cutting some spending and not trying to promote programs that seem to call for more and more spending. Frankly, I don't know where we will ever stop if all the programs that are now being trotted around Congress should be enacted. As a taxpayer, I'm certain you feel the taxpayer, that of course a lot of programs are very beneficial, and we all are very normal, we like to think that something program will do something for us, and of course those programs that might directly benefit you, I should think that you would probably see some very good merit in. But when we take the long, and the cold, and the hard, objective look in about the future of our country and our children, I think we should also stop and wonder who will pay the bill someday? How long can they continue deficit spending? How long could you continue deficit spending at home? What shape would you be in if year after year, you went further in debt and kept living on borrowed capital?

As I said before, and this is not a partisan matter at all, we face this together as Americans and as taxpayers. And I should think that the time has come when we would rise up against the continued deficit spending, new programs that call for additional deficit spending, at a time when we're faced with, as I said, the biggest peacetime deficit in history. And also at the very time we're faced with the communism of some 90 miles from our shore. To me, it seems almost ridiculous that any administration should offer programs at this time which would further embarrass the taxpayers of this country.

And talking about the Cuban situation, many Members of Congress on both sides are upset that the attitude taken by this Administration in restraining the exile of Cubans who want freedom from returning to Cuba and from otherwise harassing the communist under the rule of [Fidel] Castro. It seems to me very basic in the American heritage that we've grown and prospered and survived because we believe in freedom, and when necessary, we would fight for freedom, and it's a strange thing that we tell now the Cuban exiles, and, not only tell them, but restrain these people from trying to free their country. It seems, at times, that amounts to appeasement. Not only of Castro, but to [Nikita] Khrushchev himself, because this has been a source of irritation with Castro, and it has been a source of irritation with Mr. Khrushchev. And it seems very unreasonable that we should try to restrain these people. It seems to me, rather, we should be helping these exiled Cubans in every effort possible so they might someday overthrow Castro and restore an entirely free Cuba.

Now, immediately after the Easter recess, in fact, on Wednesday following the Easter recess, which would be on the 24th of April, we will discuss the feed grain legislation. It'll be on the House floor, it'll be debated, it'll be voted upon, and then it'll be passed or rejected. Let me state simply, that the real issue is not the passage of the feed grain bill. The real issue that Mr. Freeman [U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman] is trying to point out that this will sweeten up the referendum and probably pick up some more ‘yes’ votes for the Administration on a 1964 wheat program.

Frankly, I feel, and I've said it before, that we're doing an injustice to the wheat producer of this country by passing feed grain legislation prior to the May 21 wheat referendum. And why do I say this? Simply because if we pass feed grain legislation to the House and to the Senate, and then have the referendum, and then if the referendum should fail or it should pass, either way, the wheat producer is left standing as the ‘Lone Ranger.’ And I, frankly, believe that feed grain legislation at this time is premature. That action on it should be delayed until after the wheat referendum, and then if the referendum should fail, we can work out a combination wheat and feed grain program to satisfy the American farmer. I do not believe it does anything but deny the wheat producer freedom of choice in the wheat referendum because the administration is making it so unbearable for the wheat producer that it literally robs him of a free choice in the wheat referendum on May 21st, and certainly, this was not the theory behind the history of the referendum process.

Again, this is Bob Dole and I certainly appreciate your comments and suggestions on our program. Just write to me in Washington, D.C. Thank you.