Bill Archer: “Mr. Speaker, here we are again. We are here again moving this Congress to do the right thing for married couples by…”

“Mr. Speaker, here we are again. We are here again moving this Congress to do the right thing for married couples by eliminating the marriage tax penalty in the Tax Code. This bill is identical to H.R. 6 that passed this House in February. Why are we here again? Because the blocking techniques of the Vice President, as President of the Senate and the minority leader in the other body, have prevented our bill from even being able to come up for a vote on the floor. And then they have the audacity to say we are a 'do-nothing' Congress. They are forcing us to come back again and pass this bill under reconciliation, which procedurally cannot be blocked from coming up on the floor of the Senate by their delaying tactics. Since 1993, the Clinton-Gore White House has sent 25 million married couples an expensive gift from the IRS: A bill for $1,400 a year. That is not exactly the traditional Happy Anniversary card. So here we are, at it again, trying to fix this once and for all. And this is a bipartisan bill, with 48 Democrats in the House voting with us in February on a bill that is the most complete and fairest way to get this job done.”