The Nation : Fund Cutoff Threatened

The House Judiciary Committee voted 21 to 12 to cut off funds to the attorney general’s office if the Justice Department refuses to enforce a law aimed at increasing competitive bidding for government contracts. The provision is intended to force Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III to comply with provisions of the Deficit Reduction Act, which requires the General Accounting Office to review contracts for competitive bidding. A Justice Department spokesman, told of the decision, said: “The matter is now in the courts, which we think is the proper place to have it resolved.”