The President's News Conference

THE PRESIDENT. This being the day that you get 10 or 15 columns from me I do not believe I can adequately add anything to it, so we had better hold in reserve any news we have here until we run dry.

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE BUDGET

I have had here for some months a sort of a personal budget that I thought might be of interest to you after you have done with the budget message, and I will have the tables gotten out and released to you. It is a reconsideration of Government expenditures on a more understandable basis than that on which we have to present the departmental budgets.

The budget as it goes to Congress, of course, is built up by departments, and not by the particular purpose for which expenditures of the Government are made. For instance, each department has regulatory functions, and these are functions in aid of different purposes throughout the country, and does not give as clear a vision of the operations of the Government as constituted for the purposes for which the expenditure is made. So I thought--not for publication--but I will release it to you as soon as we get it mimeographed--probably let you have it for release on Thursday after you are done with the normal budget. It will probably give the public a better understanding as to what all these figures are about.

Q. Will we get that this afternoon, Mr. President ?

THE PRESIDENT. This afternoon or tomorrow morning.