Reagan Press Conference : March 18, 1983
Reagan Press Conference : March 18, 1983
U.S. President Ronald Reagan begins press conference regarding House Budget and "Jones" proposal. President Reagan stands besides two poster board charts; adult Caucasian male and female White House Press Crops in FG. Reagan: "Good morning. I have a statement here. I was pleased to welcome some leading Republican Congressmen this morning. Our meeting began on a very positive note, because we had more excellent news on the economy. The inflation figures announced today show that producer price inflation over the past year has been cut by 80 percent from two years earlier. That's extremely good news, because it raises the purchasing power of every American. In coming months, of course, the inflation figures may bounce around a little, but it's clear that we're finally breaking the back of inflation in the United States. And now that it's down, we have to keep it down."
Reagan Press Conference : March 18, 1983
U.S. President Ronald Reagan continues his remarks; Reagan: "That was one of the main reasons I asked these Congressmen in this morning, because the Budget Committee in the House, controlled by the liberal wing of the Democratic Party has just come up with a truly dangerous budget proposal. The Jones proposal is a declaration of war against the common sense principles that are now rebuilding America. This is a giant step backward into an economic quagmire. I'm not going to sit still for a proposal that makes a huge increase in taxes, guts our defense program, repeals many of the overdue welfare reforms that we have enacted, and adds an incredible $181 billion in domestic spending to what we've proposed. We've worked very hard over the last two years to reduce the growth of domestic social spending. The Democratic proposal would throw our budget savings out the window and turn the clock back when domestic spending and inflation was soaring out of control and 20 percent interest rates."
Reagan Press Conference : March 18, 1983
U.S. President Ronald Reagan continues remarks on House Democrats Budget Proposal; Reagan:"We worked very hard to give the American people their first real tax reduction-- a rate reduction in nearly twenty years. We wanted to permit citizens to keep more of the money they earn and to encourage them to save, invest, and help us increase worker productivity. All that's now happening. We're witnessing a renaissance in the values of thrift and enterprise. But the Democratic budget would crush the working people of America with $316 billion in new tax increases over the next five years. Repeal of the third-year tax cut and indexing would have little impact on the wealthy. But it would cost a typical median-income family of four $3,550 in higher taxes through 1988. Nor would this tremendous tax increase reduce the deficit. To reduce the deficit, we don't want or need higher taxes. We need economic growth, a kind of growth that has already begun."
Reagan Press Conference : March 18, 1983
U.S. President Ronald Reagan continues remarks on House Democrats Budget Proposal; Reagan: "Finally, we've worked hard to begin the long, tough job of rebuilding America's defense security. And we're making progress. But the Democratic budget would cripple those efforts, too, slashing our defense budget authority request by more than $200 billion through 1988. Nothing could bring greater joy to the Kremlin than seeing the United States abandon its defense rebuilding program after barely one year. Let me read you a statement that Harry Truman made in 1945 after he'd studied the reports on Pearl Harbor. He said, 'I came to the conclusion that the whole thing is the result of the policy which the country itself pursued. The country was not ready for preparedness. Every time the President made an effort to get a preparedness program through the Congress, it was stifled. Whenever the President made a statement about the necessity of preparedness, he was vilified for doing it.'"
Reagan Press Conference : March 18, 1983
U.S. President Ronald Reagan wraps up remarks at press conference. Reagan: "I'm asking the members of our party, responsible Democrats, and every concerned American to work with us in opposing the liberal Democratic budget. We've come too far and worked too hard to see the recovery now underway destroyed by a reckless return to the failed policies of the past. Now, that's the end of the statement, but let me just say I am looking forward to face you here in the Press Room in which you can have a fling at questions. Next week -- we haven't selected the day, but I'll be doing that. My schedule is such, however, that I am taking no questions, but Dave Stockman [OMB Director] is here for all the details that you may have. And as you can see, he's got some of them here -- color charts before you." President Reagan standing between two poster board charts; adult Caucasian male and female White House Press Corps in FG. Reagan leaves the podium, Stockman stands behind.
Reagan Press Conference : March 18, 1983
Director of the Office of Management and Budget, David Stockman stands ready to speak to adult Caucasian male and female White House Press Corps; Deputy Press Secretary, Larry Speakes stands next to Stockman and announces that audio will only be available for this portion, asking that film cameras be turned off; two poster-board charts beside Stockman.
Reagan Press Conference : March 18, 1983
Repeat footage (different angle) of U.S. President Ronald Reagan's press conference regarding the proposed House Democrat Budget and "Jones" proposal. As President Reagan speaks, camera focuses on one of the two poster board charts next to him, titled: "Two-Thirds of Democratic Plan's Tax Increases and Defense Cuts To Huge Domestic Spending Rise"; adult Caucasian male and female White House Press Corps in FG. Director of the Office of Management and Budget, David Stockman and Deputy Press Secretary, Larry Speakes standing off to the side; other adult Caucasian male photographers taking photos.
Reagan Press Conference : March 18, 1983
Adult Caucasian male and female White House Press Corps members seated, taking notes of U.S. President Ronald Reagan's statement regarding the proposed House Democrat Budget and "Jones" proposal; two poster board charts presented on either side of President Reagan. Adult male jokes that President Reagan sounds like he's about to compromise on defense spending; Reagan welcomes Director of the Office of Management and Budget, David Stockman to the podium and takes his leave; Chief of Staff James Baker III briefly seen standing by the door. Deputy Press Secretary Larry Speakes notifies the press that while this is all "on the record" briefing, film cameras must be turned off.