Thomas Daschle: “I think it is a fair construction. I give great credit to the chairman of the Finance Committee for making that point.…”

“I think it is a fair construction. I give great credit to the chairman of the Finance Committee for making that point. The chairman of the Finance Committee did the responsible thing and was certainly showing, once again, his leadership in this regard in making sure everyone understood this is not a tax bill. This is an appropriations bill. There is a time to address taxes. There is a time to address spending through appropriations. The chairman of the Finance Committee drew that distinction, as did most of us. So, again, we will have another opportunity to discuss this matter, but I simply wanted at this point in the Record to be sure everyone understood what motivations there may have been for those of us who feel we ought to take a more responsible view with regard to the marriage penalty itself.”