 The final FY 1970 budget, which Clifford and his staff worked on before they left office after the election of Richard Nixon to the presidency, amounted to $75.5 billion TOA (Total Obligational Authority).Clifford took office committed to rethinking Johnson's Vietnam policies, and Vietnam policy consumed most of his time.He had argued against escalation in 1965 in private counsel with the president, but then provided public support for the president's position once the decision was made.