Thomas Daschle: “It is important to be clear what this vote is about--and what it is not about. This vote is not a test of who supports…”

“It is important to be clear what this vote is about--and what it is not about. This vote is not a test of who supports eliminating the marriage penalty. Virtually every member of this Senate agrees: Married couples who work hard just to make ends meet should not have to pay more in taxes simply because they are married. If the plan proposed by our Republican colleagues only eliminated the marriage penalty in a way that was fair and responsible, I would vote for it. And so, I suspect, would every other Democrat in this Senate. But the Republican plan goes far beyond fixing the marriage penalty. Sixty percent of their $248 billion plan has nothing to do with fixing the marriage penalty. That is what this vote is about. This vote is about the tens of billions of dollars of tax cuts hidden in this bill that have nothing to do with eliminating the marriage penalty on working families. In addition to the $99 billion it costs to address the marriage penalty, the Republican plan includes another $149 billion for tax breaks that have nothing to do with the marriage penalty. Most of these new tax breaks would go to those who arguably need it least--including couples at the top of the income ladder who already get a marriage bonus! We believe there is a better use for that additional $149 billion: creating an affordable, voluntary Medicare prescription drug benefit.”