Hastert corrals fractious GOP to pass $792 billion tax cut.

House of Representatives Speaker J. Dennis Hastert negotiated an agreement between Republican moderates and conservatives in order to pass the Financial Freedom Act of 1999, a $792 bil tax cut. Moderates feared the tax cut was too large and threatened deficit reduction. Discussions concerned when tax rate reductions would be phased in, how to reduce a marriage penalty tax, and the size of capital gains tax reduction.