Trent Lott: “What I am proposing here, or have been prepared to propose, is we have a vote on the Gramm penalty tax amendment, the…”

“What I am proposing here, or have been prepared to propose, is we have a vote on the Gramm penalty tax amendment, the Durbin look-back provision, the Coverdell drugs provision, and a Daschle or others marriage penalty provision. That is Republican-Democrat, Republican-Democrat; it is a way to deal with this thing. But let's set that aside. You know, there is concern that has been expressed about the cost of the marriage penalty. How about the American people who are paying that tax? A penalty for getting married? They cannot help it, if it is so unfair a tax, that young couples all over America are getting hit with this tax just because they got married? So what we are saying is, 'Oh, well, to eliminate this unbelievable tax that is in the Tax Code it costs too much money, so we want to squeeze down what Senator Gramm is proposing to less and less and less.' What we ought to do is eliminate the marriage penalty tax altogether. Right away. Flat out. Whatever the cost is.”