WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-Green Bay) expressed frustration Thursday after the U.S. House fell short of the two-thirds vote margin needed to override President Bill Clinton’s veto of a bill repealing the nation’s so-called "death tax."

"We did everything we could to push for the elimination of the unfair death tax that permits the government to take away more than half of what a person spends a lifetime earning," Green said. "We had a big bipartisan majority, but just didn’t quite get the two-thirds we needed."

The vote comes as a disappointment to Green, who cosponsored the original death tax repeal bill back in April of 1999. Nevertheless, Green said the vote would not deter him from continuing the fight to repeal the tax.

"I’ve been working on getting rid of the death tax since before I was elected, and I’m going to keep pushing," Green said. "We’re going to do whatever it takes to abolish this tax that hurts farmers, families and small businesses. People should be able to pass more on to their children than a big tax bill."

With rates ranging from 37 to 55 percent, the estate tax is one of the federal government’s highest levies. Opponents of repealing the tax, including the president, complained that it would help only wealthy Americans – a charge Green roundly dismissed.

"The people who suffer most from this tax are farmers and small business owners – people who have put everything they’ve ever earned into their livelihood," Green said. "A farmer may have a modest income for his entire life, but because he owns a considerable amount of land and maybe a couple of tractors, the estate tax hits hard. Folks are being forced to sell off farms that have been in the family for generations."

"Same thing with small businesses," Green said. "It’s estimated that 50 percent of today’s small businesses don’t survive the transition from one generation to the next – at least in part because of the estate tax. And that affects more than just the owner’s family, it puts people out of work when the business is forced to close its doors."