Outlays do not measure fully the strength of the administration's 1971 commitment to improvement of environmental quality. The growth in budget authority is far more dramatic, going from $816 million in 1969 to $1.4 billion in 1970 and $4.8 billion in 1971. About $4 billion of the 1971 budget authority is for a water pollution control program to stimulate $10 billion of construction for new waste treatment facilities.

Outlays for law enforcement and crime prevention activities are increasing at an equally impressive rate, rising from $658 million in 1969 to $1.3 billion in 1971-an increase of 91 percent. A further increase to $1.5 billion in 1972 is likely.

Total budget authority, after deductions for offsetting receipts, is expected to rise from $196 billion in 1969 to $209 billion in 1970 to an estimated $218 billion in the fiscal year just ahead.

As this committee is well aware, only about two-thirds of the budget authority for any given year requires congressional approval in that year (current budget authority). Current budget authority contained in this budget for fiscal years 1969, 1970, and 1971 is as follows:

$133 billion in 1969; $139 billion (including supplemental appropriations of $5 billion) in 1970; and $148 billion in 1971.

The increase from 1970 to 1971 exceeds $9 billion. Much of the increase is accounted for by transportation programs (urban public transportation, airways, and airports), water pollution control, and HEW programs-particularly public assistance, education, the new family assistance program, and payments to social security trust funds.

Trust funds account for the largest share of budget authority becoming available without current congressional action (permanent budget authority). Permanent authority for trust funds will rise from $53 billion in 1969 to almost $61 billion in 1970, and to an estimated $64.5 billion in 1971.

Interest on the public debt (a permanent indefinite appropriation) accounts for most of the remaining authority not requiring current congressional action. These interest payments rise from $16.6 billion in 1969 to $18.8 billion in 1970 and $19 billion in 1971.

Relation of budget authority to outlays

Of the $218 billion in budget authority being sought in 1971, approximately $105 billion is expected to be spent in fiscal year 1971. The remainder, more than $113 billion, will be carried forward for possible spending in later years.

Unspent authority from prior years will finance outlays of $96 billion in 1971or about 48 percent of total outlays estimated for that year. Almost $137 billion will be carried forward beyond 1971, with $1 billion of authority expiring.

CONTROLLABILITY

Controllability of budget authority

The large carryover of budget authority from prior years helps to illustrate another point with which this committee is familiar: Much budget authority is relatively uncontrollable in the near term without basic changes in laws.

Budget authority for relatively uncontrollable programs has been increasing lately-rising slowly but steadily from less than 45 percent of total authority in 1969 to 47 percent in 1971. The reasons are well-known-the automatic appropriation of social insurance trust fund receipts as budget authority, the permanent appropriation for interest on the public debt, and similar provisions of law. As the table above indicates most of the relatively uncontrollable budget authority is for such programs as social security, interest on the public debt, veterans' benefits, public assistance, and farm price supports.

Controllability of budget outlays

Once budget authority is granted, and obligations incurred, an even larger proportion of budget outlays than budget authority is relatively uncontrollable in the short run.

While 53 percent of budget authority is "controllable" in 1971, only 31 percent of budget outlays is subject to discretionary control.

Moreover, the proportion of outlays that is relatively uncontrollable is rising faster than the corresponding percentage for authority. Relatively uncontrollable outlays are expected to rise from 64 percent of total outlays in 1969 to 66 percent in 1970, to an estimated 69 percent in 1971. The major reason for the difference between the percentages for outlays and budget authority is outlays made out of prior-year contracts and obligations-about 22 percent of total outlays for the 3 years.