WASHINGTON – In response to the harmful tax penalties for married couples included in the Democrats’ reckless tax-and-spending spree, U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Mitt Romney (R-Utah), and 30 additional Republican colleagues sent a letter urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) to remove any proposals that would discourage marriage.                  

“Federal policy should be designed to foster strong marriages, which are the foundation of strong families and strong communities,” the senators wrote. “Unfortunately, despite its original rollout as part of the ‘American Families Plan,’ the current draft of the reconciliation bill takes an existing marriage penalty in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and makes it significantly worse. This is not the only marriage penalty created or worsened by the partisan bill.”

“We believe that marriage is a vital social good. It is misguided and unfair for the government to build bigger barriers for couples to marry,” the senators continued.   

Additional members sending the letter include Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-Ls.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), John Kennedy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).  

Full text of the letter can be found here.

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