Congressional-Executive Relations in the

ABSTRACT

During the 1960's, the legislative branch of government provided considerable initiative and support for programs to reduce unwanted births and rapid population growth. The authorizing committees for the respective programs, whether foreign or domestic, often took leadership in reassessing policy and in allocating resources. Hearings, even without legislation, provided a vehicle for publicizing, legitimizing, and defining the issue. In the executive branch of government, the principal initiative for population-oriented programs has come from outside committees, commissions, and advisors; the executive agencies have been slow and hesitant in addressing themselves to the issue, and Congress has often forced the pace. The active role that Congress has already played in this politically sensitive field suggests that, on some issues, Congress may be more likely than the administrators of executive agencies to stimulate and support policy innovation and may continue to exert substantial leadership in formulating explicit population policy.