Charles Rangel: “Mr. Speaker, it is so unfair to use political labels like tax and spend. We are very anxious to work with the majority…”

“Mr. Speaker, it is so unfair to use political labels like tax and spend. We are very anxious to work with the majority to get a budget and to get this thing done right, but if they just want a political issue they have it. Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I want to support and will support the Democratic substitute which provides an honest marriage tax penalty relief for 53,000 of my people, but it also protects the 81,000 who get Medicare and Social Security in my district. Rather than do that out here, we have come to Alice in Wonderland. I saw the Speaker of the House come out here and tear up the budget process. He said, let us pass a tax package before we even have a hearing on the Committee on the Budget, on which I sit. What is even more curious is that the marriage tax penalty was in the Contract on America. For 5 years, the other side has not dealt with it, and suddenly it comes here. In 1997, in the Committee on Ways and Means, I offered the amendment which is the Democratic substitute. All the Democrats voted for it and all the Republicans voted against, because they were going to give a tax break to the businesses. Now we come out here, and we want to do this at top speed.”