On the recordFebruary 10, 1999
a lot of people ask me why the government penalizes couples for being married, and the only answer that can I come up with is that the government does some dumb things, and this is one of them. Who is willing to defend this bizarre monstrosity in the tax code? Who will step forward and explain to the American couples in my district why Uncle Sam thinks they should pay more to the government for being married than if they were shacked up? What kind of cruel genius came up with the idea of penalizing people for being married? I urge Members on both sides of the aisle to join me in doing away with the marriage tax penalty, a penalty which hits especially hard on those who are just getting by. Enough of this travesty. We have it within our power this year to stop at least one dumb thing this government is doing.
Source
govinfo.gov
