Regan’s Blast Unnecessary, Dole Declares : Senate Leader Fires at Chief of Staff’s Comments on Budget

Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole said today that Congress can do without criticism from White House Chief of Staff Donald T. Regan as legislators seek fresh ideas to revive budget talks aimed at stopping the government’s flood of red ink.

“We can’t do it without Ronald Reagan; we could probably do it without Don Regan,” Dole said on ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America.”

Dole was commenting on Regan’s angry, podium-thumping denunciation Thursday of Congress for failing to come to grips with cutting federal spending. The President’s top aide also said it would be “disgraceful” if Congress broke off its budget talks.

Dole said the Senate “probably” will make “a legitimate counter-offer” to the House next week. Budget negotiations broke off Wednesday after an acrimonious session.

Regan fanned the embers Thursday with his remarks and rankled Dole, a Kansas Republican.

‘Enough Blame’ for All

“There’s enough blame to reach around to everyone” for lack of progress on the budget, Dole said today.

He added: “I don’t get too excited about Don Regan blasting the Congress. It seems a little late for that . . . particularly when he goes after Senate Republicans.”

“I think he better come to the Hill and get acquainted with some of the senators who made the hard choices” in voting for the Senate budget, including a Social Security freeze the President backed, Dole said.

“We did a lot of things we didn’t want to do. And the White House may have to do some things they don’t want to do. This is tough business, it’s not easy business. We want to work with the President.”

Dole, contending that this is no time to let “passion overtake our responsibility,” said the Senate will seek Reagan’s help in drawing up a new plan to trim the budget deficit.

Will Work With O’Neill

He said lawmakers probably will meet with Reagan next week after he is released from Bethesda Naval Hospital where he underwent cancer surgery.

Later, Dole told reporters he plans to work also with House Speaker Thomas P. (Tip) O’Neill Jr. to try to forge a budget compromise.

But Senate Budget Committee sources said any new outline the Republicans come up with after consulting with Reagan will probably not differ greatly from previous offers, all of which have been rejected by House negotiators.

The sources said the new proposal could be presented next week, at the earliest on Tuesday, and would include tough enforcement language to see that budget cuts outlined in the spending blueprint are carried out by other congressional committees.