As the U.S. Senate’s most liberal member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) attempts to distance herself from her own extreme voting record in advance of her 2012 reelection bid, she has repeatedly claimed to support the repeal of her own job-killing IRS 1099 paperwork mandate – a burden she herself inflicted on Michigan’s small businesses when she voted to ram her party bosses’ massive health care overhaul into law.
But Stabenow voted yesterday in favor of an amendment by liberal New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) that – as Politico noted last week – was designed to allow vulnerable Democrats like Stabenow to “to have it both ways” on the mandate by voting for repeal as an act of political posturing, but with no chance of the repeal actually taking effect. Thankfully, despite Stabenow’s best efforts, the measure failed.
Notably, Stabenow has specifically opposed repealing the 1099 requirement in the past – including in September and December of last year. But just weeks ago, Stabenow copied a 1099 repeal amendment previously introduced by Republican Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE), who had already secured the necessary 60 votes to move it forward, and eagerly took credit for the effort in an interview with News 8 in Grand Rapids. Again, today, in an email to supporters, Stabenow claimed “for the last several months, I have been leading the effort to repeal the cumbersome ‘1099 requirement’ on small businesses.”
“First, Debbie Stabenow rammed the job-killing IRS mandate into law, then she opposed repealing it, then she actually tried to take credit for another Senator’s repeal effort – and yesterday she tried to have it both ways by voting to block its repeal down the road,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond. “Stabenow has been all over the map on this crucial issue, but that’s what happens when the country’s most liberal Senator tries to hide her true colors with election-cycle posturing.”
Background Information:
Stabenow Has Claimed To Support Repeal Of The 1099 Provisions:
Stabenow: “This Provision, Known As The ‘1099 Requirement,’ Forces All Business Owners To File An IRS Form 1099 For Every Vendor From Whom They Purchase Goods Valued At Over $600. … Creating An Environment Where Small Businesses Can Flourish Is A Top Priority For Me. That’s Why I Authored The Repeal Of This Onerous New Paperwork Requirement. … I Was Extremely Pleased That In This Case, Common Sense Prevailed Over Partisan Politics.” (Senator Debbie Stabenow, “Stabenow: Business Wins With Repeal Of IRS Provision On Forms,” The Detroit News, 3/17/11)
But Stabenow Voted For The Menendez Amendment That Could Block The Repeal:
Stabenow Voted For The Menendez Amendment. “Menendez, D-N.J., amendment no. 284 that would require the Health and Human Services secretary to study whether the offset in the bill would increase insurance premiums or the number of uninsured people. If the study revealed that outcome, then the measure would not take effect.” (H.R. 4, CQ Vote #48: Rejected 41-58: R 0-46; D 40-11; I 1-1, 4/5/11, Stabenow Voted Yea)
