Office of Economic Opportunity

The Office of Economic Opportunity was the agency responsible for administering most of the War on Poverty programs created as part of United States President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society legislative agenda.

The office was created by R. Sargent Shriver (with the assistance of William B. Mullins) who also served as its first director.

Programs such as VISTA, Job Corps, Community Action Program, and Head Start (though that program was later transferred to the Department of Health, Education and Welfare) were all administered by the OEO. It was established in 1964, but quickly became a target of both left-wing and right-wing critics of the War on Poverty.

President Nixon's attempt to impound appropriated funds for OEO was ruled unconstitutional by Judge William B. Jones on April 11, 1973 in a case brought by Local 2677, AFGE; West Central Missouri Rural Dev. Corp and the National Council of OEO Locals. Reauthorization in 1975 changed the name to the Community Services Administration (CSA) but retained the agency's independent status. On Sept 30, 1981, the Ominibus Reconciliation Act of 1981 transferred functions via the Community Services Block Grant to the states and a small staff in the Office of Community Services in the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) in Washington and abolished the regional offices along with some 1000 jobs.

President Richard Nixon's appointment of Howard Phillips as Director of OEO in January 1973 touched off a national controversy culminating in a court case in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (Williams v. Phillips, 482 F.2d 669) challenging the legality of Phillips' appointment.

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