GOP National Committee Lays Off 40 as Donations Fall Short

Faced with a shortfall in contributions, the Republican National Committee laid off 40 staffers Wednesday, about 15% of its work force.

Terry Wade, RNC director of communications, said the cutbacks followed the committee’s decision at its New Orleans meeting last month to scale the 1987 budget back from about $38 million to $35 million.

“This is not unusual in politics,” Wade said. “That doesn’t make it any less painful or unpleasant.”

He said the cutbacks were “pretty broad,” stretching across the various divisions of the RNC. But he would not characterize the positions reduced or give further details on those laid off from the staff of 275.

At the New Orleans meeting, the RNC learned that contributions had dropped from expected levels in the first five months of the year. RNC Chairman Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr. mentioned the controversy over the Iran- contra affair, competition from the party’s big field of presidential candidates and the furor over fund raising by television evangelists as reasons for the drop.

Wade said contributions had even fallen slightly below the levels projected in New Orleans. He said documents that were to be filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission would show the RNC with about $17 million in receipts in the first half of the year, less than the $17.4 million expected.

But Wade said the RNC is still confident of reaching its $35-million budget for the year, since the second half is traditionally better for fund raising.

“It will be fall before we know how it is going,” Wade said. “Summer is never a good time to judge fund raising.”

Even the impact of Lt. Col. Oliver L. North’s performance defending President Reagan’s policy before a congressional investigating committee--if any--would not be seen until later in the year, he said. Wade said the RNC has no fund-raising appeals planned now keyed to the upsurge in support for North.