Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 5452 - Extension of Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense

(Senate)
(Jones (D) North Carolina and 2 others)

The Administration opposes enactment of H.R. 5452. Current law (which provides for a termination date as late as March 5, 1989) provides ample time for the Commission to complete its work.

Moreover, H.R. 5452 would require the Commission to draft and submit a report to Congress "without prior approval or review by any official of the executive branch." This provision unconstitutionally intrudes upon the President's authority, and the Attorney General would recommend that the President disapprove H.R. 5452 if it were presented to him with this provision.