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Senior Staff Meeting Action Items - September 1982
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Senior Staff Meeting Action Items - September 1982
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SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-30-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
Schedule: Photo opportunity will be during President's visit to
Speakes
the Hill at 3:15; Duberstein has draft language from Michel and
Duberstein
Lott for use in President's statement.
2.
CCLP: Topics today include organized crime, women's rights and
Fuller
civil rights.
3.
Lebanon: Guidance is that U.S. troops will leave when the govern-
Clark
ment of Lebanon tells us they have sufficient control of the situa-
Allin
tion; also, we expect Israel and Syria to leave Lebanon as soon as
possible. Our public comments should continue to stress consul-
tations with the government of Lebanon. NSC will try to work out
guidance that will be followed by all Administration spokesmen.
4.
Leading Indicators: August figures are down 0.9%. It should be
Speakes
noted that this index has been up the past 4 months in a row, is
Fuller
usually volatile, and is still up 2% overall since February.
Guidance re economy is that it is bottoming out and is ready to
recover. Baldrige will be asked to brief in order to place today's
figures in the proper perspective.
5.
Jobs Training Bill: There is still a need to get information out
Fuller
regarding the President's record of consistent support for this
Duberstein
bill. This should be done in advance of any signing ceremony.
6.
Grain: Suggestion was made that Budget Review Board meet regard-
Fuller
ing CCC purchases of grain.
7.
Continuing Resolution: Passed the Senate last night and is in
Duberstein
conference this morning. Only major question concerns defense
Darman
spending, and it appears that this will be worked out. The bill
should be received by 10:00 p.m. today.
8.
Pipeline Sanctions: Successful vote yesterday was on a motion to
Speakes
recommit; thus, we should not characterize this as a "win."
Problems arose due to Secretary Shultz's phone call to O'Neill.
9.
FTC/AMA: Provision was dropped from Continuing Resolution that
would have imposed a 1-year moratorium on FTC enforcement powers
over professions.
10. Federal Reserve Bill: The Administration needs to develop a posi-
Fuller
tion on this bill introduced by Kemp. Issue will be considered
Duberstein
in CCEA.
11. Bankruptcy Courts: DOJ is trying to get Howard Baker, Thurmond
Baker
and Dole to go along with a streamlined bill. JAB will call Dole;
Duberstein
Thurmond has indicated he will go along with us if Dole does.
12. Export Trading Bill: Issue was successfully resolved last night
Duberstein
and will come up today for final passage. As with Jobs Training
Bill, we will also need to demonstrate a record of Presidential
support of this bill.
Senior Staff Meeting Action Items (9-30-82)
Page 2 of 2
ITEMS
ACTION
13. Financial Institutions Reform Bill: Legislation is sponsored by
Wright
Garn. OMB is studying conference report with a view toward send-
ing a letter. It is felt that the conference report might pass
easily.
14. Nuclear Waste Disposal Bill: Scheduled for action on the House
Duberstein
floor today. The Administration supports this legislation.
15. Regulatory Reform: Will be considered in the House Rules Committee
Duberstein
today.
16. Congressional Recess: Representative Gramm has called for the
Darman
President to keep Congress in session one more week in order to
get a vote on the Balanced Budget Amendment. Same suggestion has
been made by supporters of tuition tax credits. Legislative
Strategy meeting will be held to consider the question.
17. CBI: Rostenkowski will call JAB today regarding whether there is
Baker
an agreement to bring up this issue in the lame-duck session.
18. Inflation/Unemployment "Trade-off" Stories: Feldstein is formu-
Feldstein
lating guidance to deal with this argument in recent news articles,
and will forward it to Gergen.
19. HUD Appropriations Bill: Should reach the WH today.
Darman
20. Handicapped Regulations: Report is that most, but not all, of the
Fuller
proposed regulations have been withdrawn.
21. Pending Regulatory Activity: OMB has assembled a list of regula-
Wright
tions likely to be proposed through early November; the list will
Darman
be circulated to WH staff.
22. Immigration: Question was raised regarding how hard to push this
Duberstein
bill prior to the recess. It was pointed out that practical and
political considerations make passage before the recess very un-
likely.
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-29-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
Continuing Resolution: Senate will convene today at 8:20, and
Duberstein
will probably put in a long day; Howard Baker is trying to get a
number of amendments cleared off the resolution.
2.
Pipeline Sanctions: Our preference is to take the matter up as
Duberstein
soon as possible under suspension since we feel we can obtain at
least 1/3 to block it. Matter should still be handled in a low-
key manner; suggestion was also made that Shultz call Michel to
counterbalance his phone call to O'Neill.
3.
Alabama Primary: State Republican officials are pleased to be
able to run against Wallace, though our reading is that such a
race would be very difficult.
4.
Bankruptcy: Issue of bankruptcy judges will be discussed in
Darman
Legislative Strategy meeting sometime late this morning.
5.
Flat Tax: Report is that testimony by Chapoton went well.
6.
Jobs Training Bill: In response to O'Neill's comments that the
Gergen
President embraced this bill late, guidance is that his state-
ments are totally inaccurate. The Administration has been work-
ing on the bill for almost a year and it encompasses all the
principles he set forth.
7.
Balanced Budget Amendment: Report is that we are within 3 or 4
Duberstein
signatures on a discharge petition. These may be achieved today
since there are more than that number of Congressmen who have
promised to sign in this circumstance.
8.
Treasury/Postal Service/General Government Appropriation Bill:
Wright
OMB reports that the bill is $821M over the President's request;
a veto signal will be sent.
9.
DOT Appropriations Bill: Senators Stevens and Andrews will be
Wright
asked to support this bill in the Senate so that it can serve as
Duberstein
a basis for a lower appropriation in the CR.
10. Private Sector Survey on Cost Control: Report is that GAO is ask-
Fuller
ing questions about this, and a congressional committee is also
Fielding
investigating various other aspects of the operation. A meeting
will be held with the top people of the PSSCC to determine what
information can be supplied in answer to these inquiries. It was
suggested that, after Congress leaves, the group report some of
its findings in order to defuse criticism.
11. South Bronx: Suggestion was made to publicize funding for Puerto
Gergen
Rican-run economic development firm in the South Bronx.
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-28-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
Schedule: Press coverage will be allowed during
Speakes
American Business Conference event.
2.
News Conference: Opening statement is being re-
Gergen
drafted, and will be circulated on a limited basis.
3.
Lebanon: Time agreement for arrival of U.S. forces
Clark
should be worked out by this afternoon.
4.
Continuing Resolution: Will be considered in the
Duberstein
Senate today, with approval likely tomorrow. The
conference should conclude work by Thursday night.
5.
Nominations: We will move for confirmation of 8
Duberstein
nominees to Legal Services. Regarding Richard Burt,
von Damm
we are still pushing but he will probably not be
confirmed before Congress recesses.
6.
Busing Story in Post: Guidance is that there is
Gergen
nothing new in this story. The President should be
Speakes
briefed on it before his press conference; Speakes
should also knock down this story at 9:15.
7.
Pipeline Sanctions: Vote will take place today
Duberstein
when issue comes up under suspension. We have a
shot at winning, but must approach it in a low-key
manner. Resolution is, in effect, only an expres-
sion of opinion and would need to pass both houses.
8.
EEOC Story: Problem has occurred due to remarks in
Fuller
which President used FY '81 enforcement figures in-
stead of figures for calendar 1981. EEOC and Brad
Reynolds are checking.
9.
Alabama Primary: Possibility exists that Wallace
may lose in runoff; Republican will have a good
chance regardless.
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-27-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
Schedule: Issues Briefing Lunch has been cancelled
Speakes
since press conference briefing will be held during
much of the afternoon. Press conference set for
Tuesday can be announced today once question of
time is settled.
2.
Cabinet: CCLP will meet Thursday on drug and nar-
Fuller
cotics control program; meeting may also include a
briefing on civil rights enforcement.
3.
Congressional Activity: Continuing Resolution will
Duberstein
probably reach conference by Wednesday. Congress
will also consider pipeline sanction legislation,
Financial Institutions Reform Act, regulatory re-
form, immigration, nuclear waste disposal, and
bankruptcy procedures. Also, jobs training bill
will reach the President this week; we will use
signing ceremony to stress that bill was largely
initiated by the President and is consistent with
principles he put forward.
4.
Economic Figures: Leading economic indicators may
Feldstein
be down about 1% after being up 4 months in a row.
Baldrige will reportedly deal with information leaks
on this subject which detracted from media coverage
of President's radio talk.
5.
Hoffman Story Re Federal Grants: Guidance re Post
Gergen
story is that no request has been made for a list
of pending federal grants and projects to assure
that Republicans can announce them.
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-24-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
Schedule: Remarks at 1:00 meeting on inflation and
Speakes
the economy will be opened up to the press; meeting
will then be closed for Q&A.
2.
Lebanon: Guidance regarding Marines is that they
Speakes
will act to defend themselves, but will pull out in
case of full-scale combat.
3.
New York Primary: Cuomo's victory over Koch probably
means Lehrman does not have a chance; Lehrman's real
chance was in a 3-way race. In the Senate primary,
Frances Sullivan won the GOP nomination; she has the
lowest name ID among those who were in the primary.
Also, George Wortley is narrowly leading Gary Lee,
though all votes have not been counted.
4.
Social Issues: Regarding Helms' remarks that the WH
Speakes
gave no help on abortion and school prayer issues,
Duberstein
guidance is to avoid comment if possible; however,
if we must comment, we should vigorously refute what
Helms said. In addition, it can be pointed out that
we feel our school prayer proposal would have had a
better chance of passage than Helms' version. A fact
sheet on our efforts will be prepared for Speakes to
use in briefing.
Regarding Weisman piece in New York Times, guidance
Speakes
is that the President and the WH worked very hard on
social issues during this session of Congress, and we
intend to continue stressing such issues in the cam-
paign. It was further mentioned that Adam Clymer is
working on a story similar to Weisman's.
5.
Unemployment: It was mentioned that the press is
making an effort to tie many developments into the
expectation of 10%+ unemployment figures coming out
on October 8.
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-23-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
Schedule: Photo opportunity is during Brady Trust luncheon.
Speakes
2.
CCEA: Will meet today with President at 2:00. Agenda includes
Fuller
an economic update and a brief discussion of our position on the
flat tax.
3.
Jobs Training Bill: It is considered important for the President
Gergen
to be out front on jobs training legislation. Angrisani will go
Fuller
over the language of the compromise today to be certain it is
Harper
what was described by Hatch in yesterday's meeting; then a
Presidential statement of support will be issued. It was sug-
gested that Regan and Angrisani brief the press after CCEA meet-
ing on both the CPI (which is up 0.3%), and the jobs training
compromise. It was agreed that the jobs training statement
should be tied in with the CPI for press purposes.
4.
School Prayer: A fourth attempt at cloture on the Helms proposal
Duberstein
will be made at noon today, though it is not likely to succeed.
At this point, the Republican leadership is trying to figure out
a way to move on and pass a "clean" debt ceiling bill.
5.
Continuing Resolution: Passed the House yesterday; duration is
Duberstein
through December 15. We intend to resolve any differences either
in the Senate or in the conference.
6.
Child Care Tax Credit: We should prepare to announce that we are
Fuller
going to make a child care credit available on Form 1040-A for the
1983 tax year. Fuller will coordinate.
7.
Immigration Bill: Passed the House Judiciary Committee yesterday,
Duberstein
15 to 13. It is felt, however, that it will probably not reach
the White House before the recess.
8.
Clean Air Act: Gorsuch will meet Friday with members of the Clean
Dole
Air Coalition in an effort to assess remaining prospects for
Duberstein
passage this year. Dingell and Broyhill are putting together
another bill, with our knowledge, in an attempt to find a compro-
mise that can be passed out of committee before the recess; they
would then go for full passage in the lame duck session.
9.
DOT Appropriations Bill: Information is that this may be sent to
Wright
the White House separately.
10. Social Issues: New York Times story by Steve Weisman quotes WH
Gergen
sources to the effect that the social issues are behind us and
that we are pleased we can now move forward with other things.
This is inaccurate and should be knocked down.
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-22-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
Schedule: Photo opportunity is with presidents of black colleges;
Speakes
briefing paper regarding grants, etc., should be forwarded in
Dole
advance.
2.
Lebanon: No change in guidance; point was made that there is a
Clark
need to halt remarks to the effect that we would like to see the
Allin
Begin government fall. Guidance concerning U.S. troop presence in
Beirut will be provided shortly. Also, tomorrow the Vice President
will deliver a speech on the Middle East at the Press Club.
3.
Rail Strike: Senate passed measure we sought last night; we hope
Duberstein
for House passage this afternoon. Decision is to sign bill
Darman
immediately after it arrives at the WH.
4.
School Prayer: Third attempt at cloture on Helms measure will be
Duberstein
made today, and is expected to fall short of the needed 60 votes.
It is important to emphasize to the press that this bill is not
the version we prefer. We are working to get a commitment for a
vote on our proposal.
5.
Transportation Appropriations Bill: Legislation is over budget by
Wright
about $200M; we have already demonstrated veto strength in the
House vote, though.
6.
CBS News/New York Times Poll: This indicates that the President's
standing among women has improved, largely due to progress on the
"peace issue. "
7.
Omnibus Women's Equity Act: This is an effort to enact noncontro-
Porter
versial changes in laws containing gender bias, and is an outgrowth
Darman
of our Justice Department report. Porter will review draft legis-
lation. Legislative Strategy meeting will then be held to discuss
communications plan.
8.
Defense Appropriations Bill: Senate subcommittee cut U.S. forces
in Europe by 23,000 men; this was approved by DOD and is part of an
effort to find the money for necessary cuts.
9.
Jobs Training Bill: There was some dissatisfaction with conference
Duberstein
developments regarding this bill; Hawkins, Hatch and Quayle have
Darman
been told that we would prefer no bill at all to an unacceptable
bill. Issue will be discussed further in meeting this afternoon.
10. Garn Bill on Banking: Indications are that ABA and the S&L's will
Duberstein
agree to support the bill today; if that occurs, Howard Baker will
then move the bill to conference. The House has already passed a
version that we consider unacceptable.
Senior Staff Meeting Action Items (9-22-82)
Page 2 of 2
ITEMS
ACTION
11. Child Care Credit: Dole will check with Regan concerning inclu-
Dole
sion of a child care credit on form 1040-A. Information is that
two to six million families would be affected, and that the change
would cost $250M.
12. Flat Tax: Hearings will be held next week on this proposal;
guidance is that we are taking no position on it.
13. Immigration Bill: This may have passed House Judiciary Committee
Duberstein
yesterday.
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-21-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
Schedule: Photo opportunity with our 3 arms negotiators will be
Speakes
held today.
2.
Economic Figures: Revised GNP figures will be released this morn-
ing. They will show that real GNP increased at a 2.1% annual rate
during the 2nd quarter (this is up from a previous estimate of
1.3%). Preliminary figures for the 3rd quarter indicate a 1.5%
increase.
3.
Rail Strike: We expect Congress will pass legislation today or
Fuller
tomorrow. Secretary Lewis will be testifying on this subject today.
Duberstein
4.
Lebanon: Congressional reaction so far has been mixed regarding
Clark
decision to return troops to Beirut; suggestion was made that we
Duberstein
get more members of Congress out publicly in support of the
President. We will pursue the same route as before regarding the
War Powers Act, though we have not yet discussed this with Congress.
5.
School Prayer: 2nd cloture vote on Helms proposal will be held
Duberstein
today; we expect it will gain some support, though not 60 votes.
Guidance is that we are supporting cloture, though we maintain a
preference for our bill on the subject.
6.
Balanced Budget Amendment: President will be meeting with Congress- Duberstein
men on this subject during congressional time today. 15 signatures
are still needed, though it is possible we may obtain these by the
end of the week.
7.
Dole Remarks re New Tax Bill: News story quotes Senator Dole as
Speakes
saying that another tax increase is likely next year unless the
economy turns around quickly. Guidance is that the President has
no enthusiasm for additional tax legislation and has no plans to
seek any.
8.
Continuing Resolution: Whitten version is $34B under for defense
Wright
and military construction, and $1B under for foreign operations.
OMB is preparing a letter of opposition.
9.
Teamsters: Longstanding case regarding the Central States Pension
Fund has been settled. The government achieved its objectives,
including an impartial monitor of funds and other safeguards.
10. High Technology: Bill pending in Congress would extend tax bene-
Wright
fits to companies which provide high technology equipment to high
Fuller
schools. Such benefits are now given when equipment is donated to
colleges, and the Administration supports extending the same bene-
fit with regard to high schools. However, there is some question
as to whether this bill is more generous than the current college
provision.
11.
Agriculture Appropriations Bill: "White" veto signal is being sent
Wright
regarding this legislation.
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-20-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
Schedule: Location of OPIC event may be changed due to weather.
2.
Rail Strike: Engineers are still negotiating, but we are not hope-
Fuller
ful of a settlement. DOT and DOL have been consulting with Labor,
Gergen
and will further discuss situation with Congress today. Time may
be requested on President's schedule before lunch to discuss
recommendations; Fuller and Gergen will discuss press plan.
According to CEA, the strike will pose serious problems for the
economy if it lasts more than a week.
3.
Economic Figures: Moderately good news is expected this week re-
Feldstein
garding GNP and consumer price index.
4.
Lebanon: Meeting at 10:15 should be described as a discussion with
Clark
top foreign policy advisors. Content and timing of a Presidential
Gergen
statement on West Beirut will be determined in that session.
Begin's response to our previous message may also be received today.
5.
Cabinet: Meeting today at 2:00 will discuss political situation
Fuller
and Indian policy. Agenda for Thursday meeting is still not set.
6.
Legal Equity for Women: Senator Dole is prepared to introduce leg-
Darman
islation to correct 70 laws with gender bias, most of which are
Fuller
listed in DOJ's recent report. Subject will be discussed in Legis-
lative Strategy meeting, and will then be raised during CCLP meet-
ing with the President.
7.
Tuition Tax Credits: Senate passage is still possible; Senator
Duberstein
Dole is still pushing for floor action, though no date has been set
yet.
8.
School Prayer: Cloture vote on Helms proposal will take place this
Duberstein
afternoon, though it will probably fail. Our proposal for a con-
stitutional amendment will likely be debated at some future point.
9.
Medicare: Weekend stories in which HHS employees and a former OMB
Wright
employee were quoted have been harmful. Guidance is that no senior
Fuller
WH official has requested a report on the subject; instead, it is
a result of lower level staff activity.
10. Social Security: Staff should check into details regarding story
Wright
in Post about cuts in social security death benefits.
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-17-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
Private Sector Survey on Cost Control: Congressman William Ford's
Fielding
subcommittee has initiated an investigation of this group which
Fuller
seems aimed at discrediting it. We will follow developments
closely.
2.
Radio Speech: Draft (on school prayer) will go into the President
Darman
today.
3.
President's Jobs Training Bill: Conference committee will meet
Duberstein
again Monday on this.
4.
Democratic Jobs Bill: Passed the House yesterday on a vote that
Duberstein
was, for the most part, along party lines. We demonstrated ample
veto strength, but it is unlikely the matter will reach that point.
Attempt will be made in Senate to add the bill on to another
measure, though Howard Baker feels he can prevent passage.
5.
Tuition Tax Credits: We are continuing to push for Senate floor
Duberstein
action; however, O'Neill's statement that the House will not con-
sider the matter this year makes a Senate passage more difficult.
6.
School Prayer: Agreement has almost been reached on how to proceed
Duberstein
in the Senate. Guidance is that we are anxious to have our school
Gergen
prayer proposal debated and voted on.
7.
Special Session of Congress: Letter has been sent by President
Duberstein
stressing his desire that the Congress act on its budget resolu-
Gergen
tion by passing the necessary appropriations bills. While the
letter does not specify that a lame duck session will be called,
that is clearly implied. Further guidance is that we will have
absolutely nothing new to say regarding social security until the
commission issues its report.
Regarding possibility that Congress may adjourn sine die, Fielding
Fielding
will analyze legal questions concerning recess appointments.
8.
Defense Appropriations Bill: Problems are close to being resolved;
Duberstein
DOD has been in contact with Stevens and the subcommittee.
9.
Railroad Strike: Decision is that we will not go to Congress for
Fuller
legislation in advance of a strike because Congress is not readily
available, and the matter might still be resolved. The strike
deadline is midnight Saturday. The Federal Mediation Service is
now involved. In the event of a strike, an effort will be made to
keep press comments at DOT; in this regard, Drew Lewis will be
available to brief the press.
10. West Beirut: Report is that the Israelis have surrounded the Soviet Clark
Embassy. U.S. pressure for withdrawal will be escalated, including
possible action in the U.N. provided the final resolution is some-
what evenhanded on the withdrawal of other forces from Lebanon.
State Department is explaining in private that a key problem is
Israeli deception.
Senior Staff Meeting Action Items (9-17-82)
Page 2 of 2
ITEMS
ACTION
11. Bus Regulatory Reform Act: Though all agencies except State have
Darman
approved the bill, the reciprocity provisions regarding Canada and
Clark
Mexico are troublesome. Action on the bill is due by Monday. USTR
has proposed a compromise that might be acceptable to Danforth and
others; NSC will discuss it with State. Memo with back-up infor-
mation has been circulated for comment.
12. Comments by Former HEW Secretaries: Called for a federal minimum
Meese
level on welfare payments. Response will be discussed in 8:30
Meese Management Meeting.
13. Burt Nomination: This has run into problems due to Helms request
von Damm
for an Intelligence Committee investigation of an article Burt
Duberstein
wrote in 1979. Percy is helping us on the nomination.
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-16-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
UAW/Chrysler: Tentative agreement has been reached which may avoid
Fuller
a strike.
2.
School Prayer: Howard Baker has committed to obtain a vote on this
Duberstein
issue; it is considered important to move on it in the wake of the
abortion vote. There is a question, however, as to whether Baker's
commitment is to our version (a constitutional amendment) or to
court-stripping legislation.
3.
Tuition Tax Credits: Finance Committee reconvenes this morning to
Duberstein
discuss compromise worked out last night; it is believed that
Moynihan, Packwood and Bradley will all support it.
4.
Lebanon: Guidance will be available later today. The Israeli
Clark
Ambassador has already been told that we may go public with the
criticisms.
5.
Defense Appropriations Bill: Carlucci has not yet seen Senator
Clark
Stevens, and will try to do so today. We are hopeful of getting a
Duberstein
bill marked up in the Senate in order to bring pressure on the
House.
6.
Legal Fee Cap Legislation: Decision is to talk with Howard Baker
Duberstein
to see if this can be attached to some bill with good prospects of
Wright
passage. If so, the bill should be sent up to the Hill; if not,
we may want to hold the bill until a later date in order to draw
more attention to it.
7.
Railroad Strike: Will possibly take place this weekend; 12:01 a.m.
Fuller
Saturday is the strike deadline. Drew Lewis has been talking with
the parties, and suggests that we let DOT and DOL notify the con-
gressional committees of the situation. If there is a strike, we
will then come back Monday for legislation to extend the bargain-
ing time. CEA will analyze the economic impact of waiting until
Monday to address the problems caused by a Saturday strike.
8.
Democratic Jobs Bill: Will be taken up in the House today under
Duberstein
a closed rule, allowing only one amendment. Michel will attempt to
take the issue away by proposing to add to the bill $1.5B taken
from Synfuels. The bill itself is expected to pass.
9.
DOT Appropriations Bill: OMB reports that the bill is $525M over
Wright
the President's request. However, $323M of that sum was to be
funded in the '83 budget proposed by the President. OMB will cir-
culate talking points on this issue.
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-15-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
Schedule: Shultz and Clark will have lunch with the President.
WH photo of Ambassador Dillon will be taken during Clark's brief-
ing time this morning. Press will cover Hispanic Heritage Week,
which has been changed to the South Lawn.
2.
Abortion: Third cloture vote will be held today at 5:00, and we
Duberstein
expect to obtain 50 or more votes. Howard Baker has filed a peti-
tion for a fourth cloture vote tomorrow. Cardinal Cooke has been
helping in our efforts.
3.
Lebanon: Gergen has received guidance that has already been agreed
Clark
on; further guidance will be coming out of a working group by mid-
Gergen
morning. Shultz should attend GOP leadership meeting due to possi-
bility that questions on Lebanon will be raised.
4.
Clean Air Act: Revision attempt is not dead. Now that Senator
Duberstein
Stafford's primary is over, an attempt will be made to agree on a
substitute bill for Senate consideration.
5.
Primaries: No incumbent GOP congressmen were beaten. In Nevada,
Howard Cannon won, and in Massachusetts, Dukakis beat King.
6.
Tuition Tax Credits: Bill is expected to pass Senate Finance Com-
Duberstein
mittee, and will then be scheduled for Senate floor; at the same
time we will press Rostenkowski and other House members.
7.
Railroads: According to Drew Lewis, a strike is possible. One of
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the unions, the Brotherhood of Engineers, refused to settle. Lewis'
recommendation is to wait and see what develops, taking a strike
for several days if necessary before acting; Congress would be more
likely to take action if a strike is in progress.
8.
Civil Rights: Regarding criticism from state civil rights commis-
Speakes
sion chairmen, Pendleton should continue to handle any comments.
Dole
Also, a schedule proposal will be submitted to brief the President
on what the Administration has done in the area of civil rights.
9.
Mayors: Coleman Young will deliver a relatively mild speech today
Williamson
at the Press Club and will take questions afterwards.
10. EOP Budget: The question of how we will handle a budget reduction
Baker
within EOP is still up in the air. It is unlikely that the $1M cut
Darman
was retribution for our veto of the supplemental. JAB will talk
with Howard Baker in a low-key effort to handle the situation.
11. Black Republican Council: Final draft of speech went in to the
Darman
President last night and has not yet come out. Speakes will circu-
Speakes
late an advance text to the press.
12. FTC Reauthorization Bill: AMA and others are still seeking a total
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exemption from FTC jurisdiction for doctors and other professions.
This position is not acceptable to us; instead, we support the
Broyhill version which includes a limited exemption that would
still allow FTC jurisdiction over price indexing and similar anti-
competitive practices.
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9/14/82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1. Tuition Tax Credits: President will meet with Packwood, Dole,
Roth, and Moynihan on subject at 2:30 for 20 minutes; meeting
will be a photo opportunity. The meeting is designed to ensure
that our support is solid in the event Senator Bradley decides
to oppose the compromise.
Duberstein
2. Abortion: President is still making calls to support cloture;
45 votes were obtained yesterday. A third attempt at cloture
will be made tomorrow at 5:00 p.m., and a fourth vote may be
held if necessary.
Duberstein
3. Social Security Benefits for Military Widows: Quayle has our
proposed amendment and will offer it in the Senate Armed
Wright/
Services Committee.
Duberstein
4. Commodities Futures Trading Commission: The reauthorization
bill for this agency is a candiate for veto due to deletion
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of user fees.
Duberstein
6. FY '83 Appropriations: Entire EOP has been cut by $1M.
Meeting will be held to discuss how to allocate.
Wright/Darman
7. Defense Appropriation: Mark-up is set for 2:00 in the Senate.
President will probably call Stevens concerning problems that
have arisen re the MX and the second nuclear carrier. A
Clark/
meeting will also be held at 9:30 to discuss strategy.
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8. Black Republican Council: Speech draft went to the President
last night; staff comments should be submitted by noon in
order to be considered in the final draft.
Darman
9. Democratic TV Ads: Anti-Administration TV advertising has been
put together, but impact will be diminished by shortage of funds
with which to air the spots.
10. Urban Institute Report: Will be analyzed by OPD.
Harper
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-13-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
Schedule: 4:30 briefing will only last 15 minutes; interview will
last 30 minutes.
2.
Crime Package: Fact sheet will be ready today; copies of bill and
Porter
transmittal letter will also be available.
3.
Abortion: Second cloture vote will be held at 4 p.m. today.
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President will be asked to make two calls, and check will be made
Darman
on whether all calls initially requested were made. In addition,
the VP and Cabinet members will be asked to make calls. Suggestion
was made that we be certain Legislative staff have talked with
congressmen in advance of such calls.
4.
Donovan: Silverman report will be released today between 1-2 p.m.
Fuller
Though Donovan had planned to make a statement, it will be sug-
Fielding
gested that he let a DOL spokesman handle the matter and simply
release the statement in writing. Guidance re WH reaction is that
we anticipated the report would reach such conclusions.
5.
Balanced Budget Amendment: 203 signatures have been obtained so
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far. We are working closely with private coalition groups on this
issue.
6.
Public Works Bill: This bill, which is being pushed by O'Neill,
Duberstein
Wright and Perkins, involves spending $1B to create 200,000 public
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works jobs; action on the bill may take place this week. OMB has
prepared talking points in opposition to the bill; decision, however,
is to lay low and attempt to have Howard Baker and other Republicans
kill the proposal in the Senate.
7.
Social Security Benefits for Military Widows: Armed Services Com-
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mittee will hold markup on this shortly. Administration has not
yet taken a public position on the bill, though we are supportive
of a version which does not include indexing. OMB will work with
the Committee during markup to try to obtain a favorable bill.
8.
Cabinet: Meeting today at 2 p.m. will discuss Combined Federal
Fuller
Campaign, international economic issues, and the surrogate program.
9.
Government Grants: It was suggested that all staff, particularly
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Cabinet departments, be sensitive in seeing that Republicans are
Rollins
notified first regarding grants and other federal programs approved
for their areas.
10. Omnibus Deregulation Bill: House Rules Committee will meet Wednes-
Duberstein
day to decide on a rule for this legislation; it will likely reach
Dole
the House floor next week and is expected to pass (this bill has
already passed the Senate). An effort should be made to see that
the President gets some credit for this legislation.
Senior Staff Meeting Action Items (9-13-82)
Page 2 of 2
ITEMS
ACTION
11. Nuclear Freeze: Referenda will be held on this in Wisconsin and
Gergen
other areas. Guidance will be distributed to all staff.
12. Economic Figures: Retail sales figures will be out at 2:30 today
and will likely show a decline. Industrial production figures
later this week are also expected to be bad.
13. Local Content Legislation: Yesterday on Meet the Press, an infer-
Duberstein
ence was made that the WH has not yet taken a position against this
Speakes
legislation despite the fact that Brock and Baldrige have openly
opposed it. Guidance is that the WH shares their position. Our
strategy, however, is to kill the bill by delay.
14. Defense Production Act: This law is now up for extension. One
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version would add $1B and make several other changes which we oppose;
instead, the Administration favors a simple extension of the present
law for one year.
15. Commodities Futures Trading Act: Portion of bill requiring user
Harper
fees has been removed in the House; we oppose this change and may
reassess our position on the bill as a result.
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-10-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
Supplemental: All-out effort will be made to defeat override
Duberstein
attempt in Senate today. The President has been making calls to
both Democrats and Republicans. Several senators, including
Laxalt and Wallop, are returning to Washington for the vote, which
will take place between 12 and 1 p.m.
If we lose the vote, WH staff should avoid discussion with news
Gergen
media in order to reduce the level of media attention. Also, in
case of defeat, we will try to focus attention on another news
story, such as withdrawal of troops from Lebanon (on this, the
President may telephone the USS Guam and General Barrow with media
present). It was further suggested that, win or lose, a statement
be issued emphasizing the need for fiscal restraint.
2.
Abortion: Yesterday's cloture vote fell short by 19 votes. We
Duberstein
expect to pick up more support in a second try on Monday, though we
are aiming at final success in a third cloture vote, perhaps
Tuesday.
3.
Balanced Budget Amendment: Phone calls will continue to be made as
Duberstein
we continue to press for 218 signatures on a discharge petition.
4.
Tuition Tax Credits: We are continuing to work with members of the
Duberstein
Finance Committee on a possible compromise.
5.
Economic Figures: The Producer Price Index for August was up 0.6%;
Gergen
this is a 7.5% annualized rate, and 4% year over year. Guidance is
that this is further evidence the inflation picture is improving.
Suggestion was made to tie this news in with the statement on fiscal
restraint we will issue after the override vote today. Regarding
fluctuations in the gold market, guidance is that this is probably
due to a combination of lower interest rates and nervousness about
developments in Mexico.
6.
Crime: Comments on radio speech are due by 10:00 today. The crime
Darman
package itself will go to the Hill on Monday. Giuliani or Jensen
Fuller
from Justice will conduct a WH press briefing on the package, and
Porter
Porter will prepare a fact sheet.
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-9-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
Supplemental: Vote on override is still close. Lott is concerned
Duberstein
about our position on Older Americans funding; he and Michel have
Darman
sent letter to members assuring their help in sustaining such
funding. Duberstein and Darman will discuss options for dealing
with the subject.
2.
Abortion: Cloture will probably not succeed in today's vote.
Duberstein
Howard Baker is scheduling more cloture votes next week.
3.
Defense Authorization Bill: Signed last night without issuance of
Darman
a signing statement. A statement can be issued today, though, if
a desire is expressed to do SO.
4.
Legal Fee Cap Bill: Bill drafted by OMB has been approved by OPD.
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Decision is to send the bill to Congress soon, in part because we
committed in the budget to submit legislation this year. OMB will
retain the lead on this proposal.
5.
Crime: Anti-crime legislative package will be sent to Congress on
Duberstein
Monday. Regarding Saturday's radio speech on crime, a new draft
Darman
is now in circulation.
Gergen
6.
Food Stamps: USDA intends to invoke sanctions against states who
Harper
have exceeded the allowable error rate for food stamps. WH has
made no objection. The states are facing aggregate penalties of
only $12M, and they can appeal the decision.
7.
CCEA: Today's meeting at 8:45 will be the first attempt to discuss
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long-term policy planning within the cabinet council structure.
Harper
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-8-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
Schedule: Meeting with Vigdis and Scandinavian luncheon will both
Speakes
be covered by press. After President meets with Habib, he will go
Clark
outside to comment on Syrian aspects of settlement and to restate
that U.S. troops will withdraw on schedule.
2.
Balanced Budget Amendment: President will tentatively meet at
Thompson
3:00 with a group of congressmen whose signatures are needed on
the discharge petition. Paper will be prepared in advance for
President's review.
3.
Supplemental: Decision was made to prepare a statement for re-
Gergen
lease today re the veto override attempt.
4.
Abortion: President has letters to sign and calls to make on this
Thompson
subject. The Senate will discuss Hatch's constitutional amendment
today, and will vote on cloture re Helms' proposal at 2:00 tomorrow.
5.
School Prayer: Guidance is that the Administration is not taking a
Speakes
position on the court-stripping amendment.
6.
Martin Feldstein: Introduced to senior staff.
7.
Jobs Training Bill: Legislative Strategy will meet today to dis-
Darman
cuss our position on various sections of the bill with Quayle.
8.
Tuition Tax Credits: We are awaiting word from Moynihan and other
Thompson
senators concerning our proposed compromise.
9.
Crime Package: Decision was made to proceed with radio talk on
Gergen
crime package without reference to drug problem, which will be
saved for a future radio address.
10. Omnibus Deregulation Bill: Matter is now held up in the House
Thompson
Rules Committee; the Speaker has committed to move the bill,
however.
11. Primaries: In Alabama, it appears that Wallace may have problems
in the runoff. In Florida, a runoff will probably hurt GOP chances
in the Senate race.
12. Alf Landon Speech: Reference to social values is still in the
Darman
draft. Speech will go back to President for review, then we will
Gergen
make quotes available for the morning shows. Addition may be made
that responds to allegation we are using unemployment to cure in-
flation.
13. Title V: It was mentioned that a commentary by Bill Moyers criti-
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cized the Administration for cuts in programs serving the elderly.
OMB has prepared talking points in response.
SENIOR STAFF MEETING ACTION ITEMS (9-7-82)
ITEMS
ACTION
1.
Schedule: President arrives at 4:45; Habib event will be held at
Dole
5:15 in the East Room. Assistants to the President are only WH
Gergen
staff invited. Consideration will be given to include date of
troops' return from Lebanon in President's remarks.
2.
Supplemental: Treasury has biggest furlough problem with 19,000
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IRS employees plus 250 Secret Service administrative personnel
going out tomorrow; most other agencies are safe until September
15th. Treasury needs authority to transfer funds. Provision in
current law allows such transfer with congressional committee
approval, but Justice feels the provision is unconstitutional.
There is precedent for ignoring such a provision, however.
Regarding potential override of President's veto, the House will
Darman
consider the matter first, and much work remains to be done there;
prospects in the Senate look somewhat better right now. Entire
subject will be discussed in Legislative Strategy meeting today.
3.
Social Issues: Statutory amendments regarding both abortion and
Duberstein
school prayer may be added to the debt ceiling bill.
Regarding abortion, the Senate convenes at noon tomorrow and will
discuss Hatch's constitutional amendment; cloture vote is set for
2 p.m. Thursday on Helms provision. Package of letters and calls
on subject will go to President today.
Regarding school prayer, we need to obtain a copy of the amendment
Fielding
currently being considered. If we have constitutional reservations
Gergen
about it, Helms will accept neutrality on our part. Consideration
will be given to including a discussion of school prayer and other
social issues in the Alf Landon speech.
4.
Balanced Budget Amendment: Discharge petition has 203 signatures,
Duberstein
15 short of needed number. We should continue to push for signa-
tures in case Congress remains in session until October 15 or in
case there is a special session.
5.
Crime Package: Subject will be considered for next radio speech;
Gergen
draft should include reference to drug problem and victims of crime.
6.
Pipeline Sanctions: Baldrige has scheduled press conference at
Gergen
11:00 to follow-up on sanctions issue. Our position is that we are
not seeking a compromise or a way out on this issue, and it is
important that Secretary Baldrige not give credence to allegation
that we are backing off of sanctions.