Ayotte Backs Senate Effort to Repeal Health Care Takeover
Press Release
U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) today voted for a key measure to move forward on a full repeal of the federal takeover of health care -- which Senate Democrats blocked by a vote of 47 to 51. Separately, she also voted to eliminate an onerous business tax filing requirement (the "form 1099" mandate) from Obamacare that represents an enormous compliance challenge for small businesses in New Hampshire and nationwide.
"While I'm pleased that repealing Obamacare was one of my first votes in the Senate, I'm disappointed my Democrat colleagues blocked the effort," said Ayotte. "This vote represents my strong and ongoing commitment to eliminating the federal takeover of health care. That's a promise I made to the people of New Hampshire, and I will continue to work in the Senate to repeal the law and replace it with common sense, market-based reforms that reduce costs."
Ayotte continued: "Nearly a year after Democrats passed Obamacare, Americans are bracing for higher premiums, new taxes and reams of regulations. Seniors are seeing their Medicare coverage dropped, and job-killing penalties threaten to discourage hiring. Meanwhile, just this week a federal judge in Florida ruled that the law's requirement that individuals purchase health insurance is unconstitutional."
In addition to the procedural vote on repeal, Ayotte voted for a measure today that passed -- 81 to 17 -- to roll back a provision in the health care takeover that requires businesses to file form 1099 with the Internal Revenue Service for any goods or transactions exceeding $600 per year. The National Federation of Independent Business has estimated that 40 million businesses could be impacted by this requirement -- including smaller firms in New Hampshire that would have difficulty complying with this significant paperwork burden.
"While repeal remains my ultimate goal, eliminating the form 1099 requirement represents a significant step forward," said Ayotte. "Business owners across New Hampshire have told me this onerous mandate represents an enormous and expensive compliance cost. Scrapping this paperwork burden is a major priority for me, and I am pleased to see that effort move forward."
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