WASHINGTON — James C. Miller III, President Reagan's nominee for budget director, said today that he will not rule out tax increases as a means of helping to reduce federal deficits, despite his own and Reagan's strong opposition to such a strategy.
"Nothing is off base, nothing is sacrosanct," Miller told the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee at his confirmation hearing.
Miller also declared that he favors abolishing the monopoly the Postal Service has on first-class mail delivery and that he might continue to press for such action as director of the Office of Management and Budget, even though it would be "pretty far down the list of priorities."
Miller, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission since 1981, appeared certain to win easy Senate confirmation to succeed David A. Stockman at the OMB.
Clashes Over Views
But he clashed with committee members over some of his outspoken views on deregulation, and over the budget office's increasing role in overseeing regulations issued by other agencies.
