July 21, 2000 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE 15773 SENATE—Friday, July 21, 2000 The Senate met at 9 a.m. and was will be 30 minutes for closing remarks, I ask those who oppose this family called to order by the President pro with a vote to occur on adoption of the tax relief: just how big will America’s tempore [Mr. THURMOND]. conference report at approximately 9:30 budget surplus have to get before a.m. As previously announced, this will America’s families deserve to receive PRAYER be the only vote today. Following the some of their tax dollars back? If not The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John disposition of the marriage penalty now, when? If just 5 percent of the Ogilvie, offered the following prayer: conference report, the Senate is ex- budget surplus and just 9 percent of the Gracious Father of all the families of pected to begin consideration of the en- tax overpayment is too big a refund, the earth, this coming Sunday we cele- ergy and water appropriations bill. how little should it be? How long do brate Parents’ Day. We pray that this Amendments are expected and Sen- they have to wait? How hard do they special day, established by Congress ators are encouraged to come to the have to work? How large an overpay- and signed into law by the President, floor to offer their amendments. ment do they have to make? will be a day to recall America to a I thank my colleagues for their at- This bill is fair. We have addressed new commitment to the family. tention. the three largest sources of marriage We ask You to bless parents as they f tax penalties in the tax code—the live out their high calling. Help them RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME standard deduction, the rate brackets, to learn from the way You parent all of and the earned income credit. We have us as Your children. You have shown us The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under done so in a way that does not create Your faithfulness, righteousness, and the previous order, the leadership time any new penalties—any new disincen- truthfulness. You never leave nor for- is reserved. tives in the tax code. We have ensured sake us; You respond to our wants with f that a family with one stay-at-home what is ultimately best for our real MARRIAGE TAX RELIEF REC- parent is not treated worse for tax pur- needs. You love us so much that You ONCILIATION ACT OF 2000—CON- poses than a family where both parents press us to become all that You in- FERENCE REPORT work outside the home. This is an im- tended. portant principle because these are im- As parents, we commit ourselves to The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under portant families. the previous order, the Senate will now moral purity, absolute honesty, and Finally, we have made this tax relief resume consideration of the conference consistent integrity. Make us depend- immediate for the current year. That report to accompany H.R. 4810, which able people in whom children can expe- means when a couple files their tax re- the clerk will report. rience tough love and tender accept- turn next April, they will be able to see The legislative clerk read as follows: ance along with a bracing challenge to and feel the results of our work. As a excellence and responsibility. May our A conference report to accompany H.R. result, I believe that we should call example of patriotism raise up a new 4810, an act to provide for reconciliation pur- suant to section 103(a)(1) of the concurrent this bill the ASAP tax relief bill for generation of Americans who love You resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2001. America’s taxpayers—tax relief for and their country. America’s families now. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under Be with parents when they grow Despite the red flags thrown up by weary or become discouraged or feel the previous order, there are now 30 minutes equally divided for debate. those who want to stand in the way of they have failed. Be their comfort and marriage tax relief, this bill actually courage. Remind them that they are Mr. ROTH. Mr. President, I yield my- self 5 minutes. makes the tax code more progressive. partners with You in the launching of As a result, families with incomes children into the adventure of living Mr. President, the provisions in this bill will help 45 million families, and under $100,000 will receive a proportion- for Your glory and by Your grace. ally larger tax cut. Amen. that is substantially every family in the U.S. Some of my colleagues have There is no honest way people can f argued that almost half of those fami- claim that this bill is tilted towards PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE lies do not deserve any tax relief. I re- the rich. I believe that the real com- ject that. I reject it because in my plaint of those who oppose this bill is The Honorable LINCOLN CHAFEE, a not that it is tilted towards the rich— Senator from the State of Rhode Is- home state of Delaware it would mean leaving over 30,000 families that con- because it is not—but because it is tilt- land, led the Pledge of Allegiance, as ed away from Washington. follows: tributed to our ever-growing budget surplus out of family tax relief. They While I would rather have seen the 28 I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the percent bracket doubling included in United States of America, and to the Repub- contributed to the surplus and they lic for which it stands, one nation under God, should benefit from the surplus. the bill, its absence does do one thing. indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Today’s bill amounts to less than 5 Its absence removes any excuse for the President not to sign this bill. If Presi- f percent of the total budget surplus over the next 5 years. That is less than dent Clinton does not sign this bill, RECOGNITION OF THE ACTING a nickel on the dollar of our total then there is only one explanation. No MAJORITY LEADER budget surplus. It amounts to just 9 matter how much the amount of sur- The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. L. percent of the total non-Social Secu- plus, no matter how much the size of CHAFEE). The Senator from Delaware is rity surplus over the next 5 years. That the tax overpayment, no matter how recognized. is less than a dime on the dollar of the high the overall tax burden, and no f non-Social Security surplus. A nickel matter how much families deserve tax and a dime—by any comparison or esti- relief, it is all less important to him SCHEDULE mation, this marriage tax relief is fis- than the fact that Washington wants Mr. ROTH. Mr. President, today the cally responsible. Those who dispute the money more. Senate will resume debate on the con- that are themselves seeking to ‘‘nick- Mr. President, the time for excuses ference report to accompany the mar- el-and-dime’’ America’s families out of has passed, the time for family tax re- riage penalty reconciliation bill. There tax relief. lief has come. Yet some in the White ● This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. VerDate Aug 04 2004 14:43 Nov 24, 2004 Jkt 079102 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR00\S21JY0.000 S21JY0 15774 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE July 21, 2000 House still disagree. Yesterday I re- lion measure. This now is $292 billion, on the Poor’’ by David Riemer, in to- ceived a letter from Treasury Sec- almost a third of a trillion dollars. day’s New York Times, be printed in retary Summers in which he tried to In the Finance Committee and on the the RECORD following my remarks. raise two new excuses that are as floor, the Democratic Members made There being no objection, the mate- transparent as they are late. the point that, yes, the marriage pen- rial was ordered to be printed in the First, he tried to over-estimate the alty needed to be addressed, and we had RECORD, as follows: cost of the tax relief passed by Con- a measure, a device that was simplicity [From the New York Times, Friday, July 21, gress this year. Despite his exaggerated itself. We said in one sentence: A cou- 2000] figures, when Congress sends this bill ple is free to file jointly or singly, pe- THE MARRIAGE TAX ON THE POOR riod. to the President it, along with the (By David Riemer) other bills we have passed, comprise There are 65 marriage penalties in just $120 billion worth of tax relief over the Tax Code. The measure before us MILWAUKEE.—Congress has agreed on a plan to eliminate the ‘‘Marriage penalty’’ the next 5 years. deals with one, half of another, and half of yet another, leaving, if you long embedded in our tax laws—the tax ad- Second, there is only one bill before vantage that the Internal Revenue Code now us today and there will be only one bill count, as you will, 62 or 63 untouched. confers on couples who choose to live to- when it arrives on his desk: family tax The most notorious and the most dif- gether outside marriage, or who get di- relief. When we look at this bill, we ficult, dealing directly with a palpable vorced.