[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 139 (Wednesday, October 7, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H9728]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SAVE SOCIAL SECURITY; ELIMINATE MARRIAGE TAX PENALTY

  (Mr. WELLER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I have an important question to ask this 
morning. Why does the President want to squander the surplus on new 
government bureaucratic spending? Why does the President want to 
squander the surplus on State Department spending and defense spending 
and, of course, a computer fix for government bureaucracies?
  This House just a few weeks ago made a commitment to save Social 
Security and to use the surplus to save Social Security. This House 
made a commitment to set aside $1.4 trillion, 90 percent of the 
projected tax revenue surplus, over the next 10 years and use that to 
save Social Security.
  The remaining dime on the dollar we would then use to eliminate the 
marriage tax penalty, help expand, build new classrooms in schools back 
in Illinois, help family farmers, help family businesses, help those 
who want to send their kids off to college.
  Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the President says, if we use $7 
billion of the tax revenue surplus next year to eliminate the marriage 
tax penalty, that is squandering. But then he turns right around and 
says let us use $14 billion, twice as much, for government spending, 
bureaucratic spending. Mr. Speaker, you cannot have it both ways. Let 
us save Social Security. Let us eliminate the marriage tax penalty.

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