Attempt to override veto of tax relief fails in House

WASHINGTON - The House voted yesterday to sustain President Clinton's veto of a bill that would have cut income taxes for millions of married couples, killing a major piece of Republicans' tax agenda but also giving them ammunition for the fall campaigns.

"Americans understand it is wrong to tax marriage," said House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas. "We will have to put it up on the floor next year and have a president who will sign it."

The 270-158 vote was 16 fewer than the two-thirds necessary to override the veto of the "marriage penalty" bill. Forty-nine Democrats joined all 220 Republicans and one independent who voted to override, with 157 Democrats and one independent voting to back the president.

The bill was aimed at cutting taxes for 25 million dual-income couples who pay more than they would if single. Almost all married couples stood to benefit from the legislation, which would have cut out $292 billion in tax revenue over 10 years.

The bill would have cut taxes for millions of couples who already enjoy an income tax bonus, generally those in which one spouse earns significantly more than the other.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said Congress would not revisit the marriage penalty issue this year and would shift attention away from broad individual tax cuts toward paying down the national debt. Clinton previously vetoed a $105 billion measure that would have abolished estate taxes over 10 years.

"If he's going to veto tax relief - the next choice at the table is paying down the debt, and that's what we're going to do," Hastert said.

In a statement, Clinton said the bill would "knock America off this path of fiscal discipline" - which has produced growing budget surpluses and paid down federal debt - as part of an unacceptable GOP tax relief plan costing $2 trillion over 10 years.