Reagan Says He’d Take Defense Case to Public

President Reagan declared Saturday that he will take his case before the nation if necessary to assure that the Pentagon has what he considers adequate funding in fiscal 1986, but he stopped short of criticizing the House Budget Committee’s decision to hold next year’s defense spending at this year’s levels.

Unlike Senate Republican leaders, who have condemned the budget approved Thursday night by the Democratic-controlled House committee, the President said in his weekly radio address that he will reserve comment “until the Congress has completed its current work.”

But Reagan warned congressional Democrats that he will let it be known if he is dissatisfied with the final package.

‘First Responsibility’

“My first responsibility as President is the safety and security of the American people,” Reagan said. “So, if a suitable compromise can’t be worked out, I won’t hesitate to put our case before the American people and ask for your support. . . . We must have adequate military appropriations.”

Earlier last week, Reagan said he will not hesitate to return to Congress with a supplemental defense request next year if the amount that he receives initially is inadequate. He also condemned the Democrats for what he described as a “drumbeat of ceaseless propaganda” and “objectionism and obstructionism” on defense spending.

Agreed to Senate Plan

The President originally sought a 5.9% increase beyond inflation in the 1986 defense budget, but he recently agreed to accept a plan approved by the Republican-controlled Senate that would increase the military budget only about 4% to account for inflation. At that time, Reagan insisted that he would accept no less than the Senate plan.

But the House Budget Committee defied the President on Thursday by approving a budget that would freeze the defense authorization for next year at this year’s level, allowing no increase for inflation.

Reagan said the need of a military buildup has not diminished. “Americans know an act of Congress can repeal vital military expenditures,” he said. “They also know what an act of Congress can’t repeal: the aggressive tendencies and intentions of our adversaries.

“The tendency of some leaders to shut their eyes to the real world, their lack of realism about our adversaries and communism’s unrelenting assault on human freedom requires that we face up to the need to restore effective deterrence and help our friends.”

Democrats’ Response

Rep. Butler Derrick of South Carolina, delivering the Democrats’ equal-time response to the President’s address, noted that even though the House Budget Committee authorized no real increase for fiscal 1986, Pentagon spending will nonetheless increase by $15 billion next year because of past appropriations by Congress. He said defense expenditures will total almost $1 trillion over the next three years under the Democrats’ plan.

But Derrick added: “A strong national defense is not missiles and tanks alone. . . . It is education, it is science, it is research, it is development, it is reasonable funding of these programs.”