Reagan Urged to Compromise on Budget, Tax Hike
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WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd today appealed to President Reagan to compromise with the Democrat-controlled Congress on the budget, including a tax increase to reduce the deficit.
Byrd, who will preside over the Senate’s budget debate later this month, said the Administration hurt chances of reducing the deficit by refusing to meet with congressional leaders.
“We need the President’s help and he ought to stop standing out there on the sidelines,” said Byrd (D-W.Va.).
“Every year the federal deficit has moved us deeper into more dangerous waters,” he said. “And while the passengers may not recognize the danger, those of us on the bridge can see the coming danger for the generations ahead.”
House Democrats on Thursday brushed aside Reagan’s budget and approved their own $1-trillion spending plan.
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