[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 11 (Wednesday, February 9, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H258-H259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      A FAIR MARRIAGE TAX PENALTY

  (Mr. MENENDEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Madam Speaker, tomorrow the Republican majority starts 
on their march to trying once again to pass over a $1 trillion tax cut, 
the same tax cut that Governor Bush offers his candidacy for President. 
They begin, instead of offering it as a whole, by dividing it up. They 
will start with the marriage tax penalty.
  The fact of the matter is we Democrats also want to end, not just 
adjust, we want to end the marriage tax penalty; but we want to do it 
in ways that not only value the institution of marriage, we want to do 
it in ways that value other issues, such as extending the life of 
Social Security and Medicare, the values of our seniors, and such as 
improving the quality of education for children, the value that we hold 
of our children.
  This Republican bill is too expensive than it needs to be. It makes 
no attempt to pay for itself; and lastly,

[[Page H259]]

many middle-income families with children will not get any tax relief 
because the bill promises a lot more than it provides because they 
ignore the minimum tax when writing their bill.
  In fact, we need to have values that, yes, take care of the marriage 
tax penalty and reward marriage, but, at the same time, take care of 
our seniors, take care of our children and extend the life of Social 
Security and Medicare.

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