Regan Warns Stockman to ‘Keep His Cool’
WASHINGTON — New White House Chief of Staff Donald T. Regan said Monday that he has admonished Budget Director David A. Stockman to “keep his cool†in the future when talking publicly about such controversial issues as military pensions and government farm programs.
“Come on, Dave,†Regan said in recalling how he had begun his lecture to the budget director.
Stockman created a furor last Tuesday when he told the Senate Budget Committee that “institutional forces in the military are more concerned about protecting their retirement benefits than they are about protecting the security of the American people.â€
Program Called ‘Scandal’
He called the military pension program, for which the Administration is seeking a $17.8-billion appropriation, “a scandal . . . an outrage.â€
As for aid to farmers, Stockman told the committee that “for the life of me, I can’t figure out why the taxpayers have the responsibility to go in and refinance bad debt willingly incurred by consenting adults who went out and bought farm land when prices were going up and thought they could get rich.â€
Stockman later apologized for what some critics interpreted as a slur on the patriotism of military personnel. But he did not back down from his statement about farmers.
Regan, in answering reporters’ questions, said of Stockman’s testimony: “I thought he blew his cool.†The chief of staff blamed the pressure of testifying before a congressional committee under hot lights for more than three hours.
“We would hope that he could . . . maintain his cool,†Regan said, making clear that he was speaking for President Reagan also.
The chief of staff said the White House is responding to angry letter writers that Stockman’s opinion on military pensions is his own and not the President’s.
“The President doesn’t feel that way about the military pension system,†Regan said. “He thinks it’s justified.â€
On farm issues, Regan noted that the Administration has proposed a stopgap plan to help many farmers obtain loans for spring planting.
He said that the President has not personally talked to Stockman about his testimony. But Deputy White House Chief of Staff Michael K. Deaver, a longtime confidant of the President, said that Stockman is not “in trouble†with Reagan.
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