This is Congressman Bob Dole with my weekly radio report from Washington. Let me first thank this station for carrying my broadcast as a public service. We are very pleased to announce that our first issue of, “Capitol Commentary,” is now in the mail, and we certainly trust that those of you who receive it will read it carefully, and of course, give us the benefit of your comments and your suggestions and your criticisms.

I might be very frank, and as we pointed out in our newsletter, we're not certain at this point whether or not we will be able to publish our newsletter on a regular basis as it is a costly process to us. And as I said in the newsletter, I cannot operate like the federal government, and with the campaign deficit and other obligations, it is necessary that we perhaps limit some activities. We do trust that if the newsletter is continued — and we will make every effort to emphasize those matters which concern you as a taxpayer. And as I said in the newsletter — and let me state again — that while many legislative programs may be desirable, serious consideration should also be given not only to the real and alleged benefits the program, but also its cost to you and other taxpayers. Either we want economy in government or not, and if we sincerely desire to see the budget cut by cutting federal expenditures, federal payroll, and federal bureaucracy, there must also be a willingness to separate the necessary from the emotional or desirable, coupled with a willingness to forego — temporarily and permanently — requests for additional federal outlays in Kansas and our district when the fiscal security of our country is threatened — and I believe this very sincerely. And to those who might feel otherwise, let me state as I said also in my newsletter, it's always easy to rationalize, but difficult to be consistent. It's always easy to be idealistic, but also painfully realistic for those who must pay the tax bill. And I think, perhaps, many times an idealist will become a realist very quickly, if he starts paying income tax and real property taxes and other state and federal taxes. Certainly, many, many programs advocated by this and other administrations have been highly desirable. Everybody wants the best of everything for their family and for their generation, but I again submit that someone must pay the bill someday. And I don't think it's any longer a question of talking about us paying the bill because the national debt is so high now — it's over $304 billion — that it will long survive any of us who are either getting or listening to this radio broadcast today. So, let's think about people that are now one, two, three, four, and five years old, or yet unborn, and let’s give them some opportunity in this country — some other opportunities than to just pay a bill that we felt was necessary in our time.

I do think that we can state with complete candor that the report of the Clay Commission means that foreign aid will be cut back substantially by Congress, perhaps as much as a billion dollars or more. Even since Mr. — [correcting himself] or General [Lucius D.] Clay's initial recommendation of a cut of a nearly a half billion dollars, he's also suggested since that time that, perhaps, it could be cut another $200 million dollars — and certainly, this is good news for the American taxpayer. The Clay Commission appointed by President Kennedy, found to no one's great surprise that foreign aid expenditures could — and should — be cut. While the report has little support from the New Frontiersman [President Kennedy], the American people largely concur with the Clay Commission's conclusions. Congress will almost certainly make sharp reductions, as I said, in the President's request for foreign aid, and this is a move which I will hardily support. It seems to me, as I said before, that with the national debt of nearly $304 billion, and with our gold reserves at the lowest level since the depression days of the 1930s, and with an adverse balance of payments, the United States cannot afford to continue the lavish foreign aid programs of the past. And it seems also to me that the free nations of Western Europe — who are enjoying unprecedented prosperity which has come about because of the Marshall Plan billions which we gave them to rebuild their economies following World War I — should play a larger role in assisting the underdeveloped nations’ burden, which we have assumed almost alone over the past several years. And it also seems to me that these countries who are now prospering should be as much concerned with their own security as we are now, and as we have been in the past. Certainly, we cannot pay the bill forever.

Our time is up unfortunately, but I do, again, request and would appreciate your comments and your suggestions and your criticisms. And if you would like to receive our newsletter, “Capitol Commentary,” please contact us. This is Bob Dole, Room 244, House Office Building, Washington, D.C.