Leaders of the Democratic Party made the most of the situation. They accused the president of not caring about the common man. They said Hoover was willing to spend money to feed starving cattle for businessmen, but not to feed poor children.
Hoover tried to show the nation that he was dealing with the crisis. He worked with the Congress to try to save the banks and to keep the dollar tied to the value of gold. He tried hard to balance the federal budget. And he told the American public that it was not the responsibility of the national government to solve all their problems.
Late in nineteen thirty-one, Hoover appointed a new committee on unemployment. He named Walter Gifford, the chief of the large American Telephone and Telegraph company, to be its head. Gifford did Hoover more harm than good.
When he appeared before Congress, Gifford was unable to defend Hoover's position that relief was the responsibility of local governments and private giving. He admitted that he did not know how many people were out of work. He did not know how many of them needed help