Casey, Specter, Harry Reid Snub Voters – Kill ObamaCare Repeal Efforts

Senators struck down two amendments that would repeal provision in the 2010 health care overhaul (PL 111-148, PL 111-152) requiring businesses to file a 1099 form to the IRS for every vendor to which they pay more than $600.

The first amendment, offered by Nebraska Republican Mike Johanns, would pay for the repeal with spending cuts.

The second proposal, by Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., did not contain offsetting language.

Johanns expressed disappointment that senators rejected his repeal effort, 61-35, which fell short of the required two-thirds vote.

“More than 40 million businesses across the country are now in jeopardy of being hit by this paperwork monsoon,” Johanns said in a statement.

Johanns argued earlier in the day on the Senate floor that a repeal must be fully offset because the midterm elections sent a clear message about how Americans view Washington’s spending habits.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the repeal of the reporting provision would increase the deficit by $19.2 billion over 10 years. The Johanns amendment would require $39 billion in spending rescissions (cuts or offsets).

Baucus, whose amendment was rejected, 44-53, warned that the Johanns version “would give the unelected director of OMB unprecedented authority to determine the source of this funding, and that would abdicate congressional responsibility over the budget.”