Diary Entry - 11/29/1984
Key Facts
President Reagan participates in a meeting to discuss an overall spending reduction with the Budget Core Group.
President Reagan participates in a ceremony to present a special Congressional Gold Medal, posthumously, to honor the late Representative Leo J. Ryan (R-California).
Met with new Sen. Leadership & Leadership of House (Repubs.) to discuss our attack on the deficit—spending cuts & tax reform. Consensus is to try & put it all in a single pckg. and strive for a “freeze” on budget—making next yrs. look like we are holding the line and repeating this yrs. Problem is defense. We cant hold that down to no increase without endangering our arms reduction talks.
In P.M. our Cabinet core group resumed meeting on same subject. We’ll be at that again tomorrow. We’re making tough decisions on freezing, reducing or canceling about 130 programs. Later on I presented Congressional gold medal to Leo Ryan’s mother. He was killed in the Jones Cult Affair in Latin Am. Met also with Capt. & 2 seamen who rescued 85 Vietnamese “boat people.” They rcvd. the International Nansen medals. Finished with some tapings. Another call from Mike. He is a really disturbed young man. I’ve contacted his Minister & believe maybe we can get through to Mike. [. . .] Mermie is here for overnight.
