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White House Diaries
March
22
1985
March 22, 1985
Friday, March 22, 1985
Met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff & what a meeting. Complete with facts & figures they gave me a report on where each branch of the service stood after our 4 year program. Apparently the U.S. has never had in peace time such readiness, quality of manpower, weaponry & reserves. I came out of the cabinet room feeling 10 ft. tall.
An almost 2 hour lunch in the W.H. with our Repub. Sen. leadership. The subject was the Senates budget committee version of the budget vs. ours. They want deeper cuts in defense but they use them to add back cuts we want to make in domestic spending. They also want to suggest a freeze on the Soc. Security COLAS . Finally I raised a little h--l. To go to the Dem. House & have Repubs. suggesting a cut in S.S. is to give the Dems. the issue they want for ’86. I told them I could give in on S.S. COLAS but it had to come from the Dems. On defense I reminded them if they went in with our bottom line—the Demos. are going to reduce whatever we bring in so leave a little padding to protect our bottom line. Also if we are going to give in on further defense cuts—then it’s trade off that it must be in addition to our domestic cuts—it cant be a replacement for them.
George S. & I had a short meeting about getting more active in the Middle East talks. I’m all for it.
Signed a proclamation on Skin Cancer prevention. Nancy came over for that ceremony. I was made an honorary Camp Fire Girl—& I didn’t have to go to Sweden for an operation. Some photos with people leaving for other assignments. Then an interview for a show on the 100th anniversary of the Gridiron.
Pvt. dinner—a few guests at home. Included the Morris’s. They are the authors of great biographies of Teddy & Mrs. Roosevelt.
