Appears To Forget When Democrats Rammed Through Massive Health Care Bill

As she prepares for a tough reelection bid, the U.S. Senate’s most liberal member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) is attempting to distract Michigan voters from her very liberal record in Washington by making misleading claims regarding a job-killing IRS mandate that she voted for just last year.

In an interview yesterday with News 8 in Grand Rapids, Stabenow was eager to take credit for efforts to repeal the IRS paperwork mandate, known as 1099, saying “[t]his is really good news. There was a provision passed a couple of years ago – the IRS rolled out how they were going to implement it and it looked like a 2,000 percent increase in paperwork for small businesses because every time you purchase something that cost $600 or more you’d have to fill out a form. Well that didn’t make any sense to me, it didn’t make any sense to other colleagues – I’ve been working with other colleagues to pass an amendment to repeal that in the Senate that I authored…..”

But, not surprisingly, Stabenow failed to mention some key facts:

• First, when Stabenow says “there was a provision passed a couple of years ago,” what she actually means is that she herself voted to inflict this mandate on Michigan’s small businesses when the Democrats rammed their massive health care bill through Congress on a party line vote. This happened last March, not “a couple of years ago,” as Stabenow claimed. And while Stabenow claims the mandate “didn’t make any sense to me,” she has specifically opposed repealing her own IRS paperwork mandate in the past – most notably in September and December of last year.

• Second, when Stabenow says she “authored” the mandate’s repeal, what she really means is that she took marching orders from her boss, liberal Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), who told her to copy an amendment previously introduced by Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE) – who had already secured the necessary 60 votes to move it forward – and then claim it as her own in the hopes that it would boost her reelection chances. As The Hill newspaper reported just last month, “…at the instruction of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) proposed 1099 repeal language that is nearly identical to the Johanns language.”

In addition to being just the latest instance of transparent election-cycle posturing by Stabenow, her hollow rhetoric also begs a very simple question: if this job-killing IRS paperwork mandate “didn’t make any sense” to you, why didn’t you oppose it before you voted to ram your costly, partisan health care bill into law – and why did you oppose repealing the provision, not once, but twice, last year?

But it would appear that Debbie Stabenow strongly agreed with former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA),who famously said that “we have to pass the bill so you can find out what’s in it.”

“Senator Stabenow’s posturing on this issue is transparent and misleading, to say the least,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond today. “Not only did Stabenow herself inflict this job-killing IRS mandate on Michigan’s small businesses, but she repeatedly opposed the provision’s repeal. It’s frankly insulting for Stabenow to just slap her name on someone else’s repeal bill and ask Michigan voters to pat her on the back for it.”

Background Information:

Senator Stabenow was against Senator Johanns’ 1099 repeal in September:

• Stabenow (D-MI), Nay

Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Johanns Amdt. No. 4596, as modified, to H.R. 5297; To repeal the expansion of information reporting requirements for payments of $600 or more to corporations, and for other purposes. (Senate roll-call vote, 09/14/10)

Before she was for it in November:

• Stabenow (D-MI), Yea

Motion to Suspend Rule XXII Re: Johanns Amdt. No. 4702; To repeal the expansion of information reporting requirements for payments of $600 or more to corporations, and for other purposes. (Senate roll-call vote, 11/29/10)

Before she opposed it, again, in December:

• Senator Barrasso, R-Wyo.: “Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to … a fully offset repeal of section 9006 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Small Business 1099 paperwork mandate …”

Senator Stabenow, D-Mich.: “Mr. President, reserving the right to object, let me indicate, as someone who has voted in fact to repeal this particular provision … I object.” (Remarks on Senate floor, 12/01/10)

Before claiming it her own in February:

• “… Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) proposed 1099 repeal language that is nearly identical to the Johanns language.” (Pete Kasperowicz, “Senate moves closer to deal repealing 1099 provision in healthcare law,” The Hill, 02/01/11)

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND….

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS: “Our Small Business Owners Remain Deeply Concerned That The Healthcare Law Costs Too Much And Further Jeopardizes The Economic Recovery Of Our Nation’s Job Creators. If new taxes, new mandates and new government programs in PPACA remain intact the law will stifle the ability to hire, grow and invest—key components that are necessary to move America’s economy forward in a robust and meaningful way. Simply put, Congress must repeal PPACA immediately.” (NFIB, Letter To Members Of Congress, 1/18/11)

U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: “Last Year, While Strongly Advocating Health Care Reform, The Chamber Was A Leader In The Fight Against This Particular Bill — And Thus We Support Legislation In The House To Repeal It … We see the upcoming House vote as an opportunity for everyone to take a fresh look at health care reform, and to replace unworkable approaches with more effective measures that will lower costs, expand access, and improve quality.” (“U.S. Chamber Backs Health Repeal,” Politico, 1/11/11)

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS: “Manufacturers Remain Adamantly Opposed To The New Laws’ Employer Mandates, Industry-Specific Fees, Medicare Hospital Insurance Tax Increases, Reporting Requirements, Excise Taxes And Limits On Flexible Spending Accounts – All Of Which Place More Burdens On America’s Job Creators. Congress needs a clean slate to consider health care reform that will lower costs and improve the quality of care. Repealing these laws is an important first step to lifting the burden they pose on manufacturing companies and their employees.” (NAM, Press Release, 1/18/11)