Aide Stirs Doubts on No-Tax Pledge as Bush Has Quiet Day

President Bush ended his five-day inaugural celebration on a quiet note Sunday, attending an ecumenical worship service and then spending a private afternoon in the White House, while a top aide suggested that his no-tax pledge may not be permanent.

As the Administration prepared for budget discussions with Congress, White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu said that Bush’s pledge of “no new taxes” would apply only “as long as the (economic) climate of this country is appropriate for that commitment to stay in place.”

Bush, who plans to meet with Republican and Democratic members of the House and Senate on Tuesday to begin initial efforts to trim the nation’s $155.1-billion budget deficit, has promised that no form of tax increase would be used to bring down the deficit, although he has not said how long that commitment would apply.

“The climate I’m talking about is the economic conditions of the country, the relationship we have in terms of competitiveness, our capacity to revitalize the industries in the country . . . to send our goods around the world,” Sununu said. He stressed that as chief of staff he would play a central role in carrying out Bush’s policies, but would not be a key policy-maker.

Speaking on the CBS News program “Face the Nation,” Sununu said:

“As our economy evolves, you have to make decisions on a year-by-year basis. I don’t think anyone in politics makes promises predicting what the economy will be like four years from now or eight years from now.”

The White House official said the Administration will submit “a blueprint to deal with the deficit that does not require taxes,” but would not say how long it would survive.

Changes in Reagan Budget

“There will be a budget package put on the table that clearly demonstrates that you do not need to raise taxes to solve the problems the country has and to begin the focus on the issues that are important,” Sununu said. Bush plans to present the shifts he will recommend in former President Ronald Reagan’s 1990 budget proposal to Congress on Feb. 9.

Sununu said money would be available for social programs, if not immediately, then in coming years. The first step, he said, would be to “identify the priorities now,” settling on an anticipated level of growth in future years and to shift the government bureaucracy in that direction.

Goes to Cathedral

The President, meanwhile, after a hectic inaugural celebration and public appearances throughout the city, ventured beyond the White House gates only once during the day, to attend the special service at the Washington Cathedral.

He was accompanied by First Lady Barbara Bush and other family members, and Vice President Dan Quayle and his wife, Marilyn.

The congregation of about 3,200 heard Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish and Greek Orthodox clergy lead prayers for a peaceful world.

In the principal sermon, the Rev. Peter Gomes, minister of Memorial Church at Harvard University, raised his concerns about “the destitute of our American Calcuttas,” and “the prisoners of the inner city within a few short blocks of this cathedral and beyond.”

He also urged compassion for the aged, for AIDS victims and for “the prisoners of affluence and indifference.”

Strolls With Grandson

Bush appeared briefly Sunday morning on the South Lawn of the White House, strolling with 12-year-old grandson George P. Bush. “It’s a great day,” said the President, who visited a “black-tie and boots” ball for Texans on Saturday evening, then stopped by a rhythm and blues concert organized by Lee Atwater, the chairman of the Republican National Committee who is also a blues guitarist.

Asked what he planned for the rest of the day after church, Bush called out: “Just the Super Bowl.”

Many of his senior staff members visited their offices Sunday, preparing for the opening week of the Bush presidency. White House officials have said Bush planned no major announcements or departures from previous government policies during his first weeks in office.

However, Bush is expected to move quickly to send a signal to the nation that he will demand high ethical standards from government employees--one of several efforts aides say he is making to differentiate his Administration from that of Reagan.

Sources close to Bush have predicted he will establish a high-level bipartisan commission to review legislation vetoed by Reagan that would tighten curbs on post-government employment by senior officials. It was also noted that Bush had pledged during the campaign to establish a White House ethics office headed by a senior official. The post has yet to be filled.

Will Swear In Staff

The President may discuss his views on standards for official conduct today when he is scheduled to start work by swearing in members of his senior staff, an occasion other presidents have used for this purpose.

Also today, according to White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater, the President is scheduled to follow the pattern set by Reagan by offering words of encouragement via telephone to protesters attending an anti-abortion rally near the White House. The rally marks Sunday’s 16th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling overturning laws prohibiting abortions.

Atty. Gen. Dick Thornburgh, interviewed Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” speculated that regulation of abortion will be left to the states if the Supreme Court sustains a Missouri law that banned use of public facilities or employees for “performing or assisting” abortions. A federal District Court found the law unconstitutional last year, but the Supreme Court agreed two weeks ago to review the case (Webster vs. Reproductive Health Services) and its decision is expected in July.

“My guess is that they will return the regulation of abortions, like many health and safety questions, to the states,” Thornburgh said. “And in that case, the decisions will be made by state legislators and state governors, and not by the federal government.”

Reminded that attorneys general seldom predict Supreme Court decisions, Thornburgh said his scenario was “strictly a guess.”

Pressed to state who should be prosecuted if state anti-abortion laws are made constitutional again, Thornburgh said that decision should be up to the states. “The key,” he said, “is that there are certain classes of abortion that would be beyond the class of being legally able to be carried out, and those would call for prosecution.” He gave no specifics.