Letter from Washington

Revenue sharing won’t get very far in 1972. In spite of electionyear pressure from state and local officials (the $5 or $6 billion that would be handed out to states and cities is already being fought over), the House Ways and Means Committee and its wily Chairman, Wilbur Mills, aren’t in a mood to move on the President’s revenue-sharing proposals. Mills doesn’t like the Administration’s deficit budget and isn’t about to add to it.

Part of his motivation is political. As a publicly reticent and privately active Presidential hopeful, Mills wants to be a power broker at the Miami Convention. His influence stems from ties with essential sources of campaign funds. He can also influence the degree of support for the national ticket from about thirty of his congressional allies in the Northeast and Midwest. Mills is enjoying his role as “the only fiscally responsible candidate”—a role that is attractive to corporation executives worried about a Republican deficit as well as a Democratic one. Though not an effective Presidential contender, he is the only one who has concentrated on untapped sources of power, which are essentially invisible to the public. A deal with the Administration on revenue sharing isn’t out of the question, but it is predicated on just how much the White House wants Mills’ cooperation.

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Revenue sharing won’t get very far in 1972. In spite of electionyear pressure from state and local officials (the $5 or $6 billion that would be handed out to states and cities is already being fought over), the House Ways and Means Committee and its wily Chairman, Wilbur Mills, aren’t in a mood to move on the President’s revenue-sharing proposals. Mills doesn’t like the Administration’s deficit budget and isn’t about to add to it.

Part of his motivation is political. As a publicly reticent and privately active Presidential hopeful, Mills wants to be a power broker at the Miami Convention. His influence stems from ties with essential sources of campaign funds. He can also influence the degree of support for the national ticket from about thirty of his congressional allies in the Northeast and Midwest. Mills is enjoying his role as “the only fiscally responsible candidate”—a role that is attractive to corporation executives worried about a Republican deficit as well as a Democratic one. Though not an effective Presidential contender, he is the only one who has concentrated on untapped sources of power, which are essentially invisible to the public. A deal with the Administration on revenue sharing isn’t out of the question, but it is predicated on just how much the White House wants Mills’ cooperation.