Supporting Small Businesses in the Senate

Posted by White House

This evening, Senators will have the chance to support small businesses when they vote on a plan to eliminate a requirement that businesses report to the IRS all purchases that exceed $600. Known as the 1099 provision this policy, which had bipartisan support, helped pay for the new health reform law. The provision was intended to narrow the gap between taxes owed and taxes paid. And while our Administration is deeply committed to closing the tax gap, the new rule places too great a burden on small businesses. Our Administration has already taken a number of steps to alleviate the burden, including exempting transactions completed with a debit or credit card. In June, the Small Business Administration sent a letter to small business owners regarding some of their efforts to minimize the burden of this new rule. And in November, the President said:

“You know, for example, I know one of the things that’s come up is that the 1099 provision in the health care bill appears to be too burdensome for small businesses. It just involves too much paperwork, too much filing. It’s probably counterproductive. It was designed to make sure that revenue was raised to help pay for some of the other provisions, but if it ends up just being so much trouble that small businesses find it difficult to manage, that's something that we should take a look at.”

Today, Small Business Administrator Karen Mills issued a memo to small business owners on the Administration’s support for repealing this provision. A copy of the memo is below.

SUBJECT: Senate voting today on 1099 reporting requirement repeal

November 29, 2010

Dear Small Business Owner,

Last week I wrote to you expressing the Obama Administration’s support for the repeal of the expanded 1099 reporting requirement that was included in the Affordable Care Act. As you know, earlier in the year we asked you for feedback on this requirement and what we heard was that will involve too much paperwork and will be overly burdensome.

As the Senate votes today on whether or not to roll back this requirement, I want to again express the Administration’s support for repealing the expanded 1099 reporting requirement.

Thank you again for your feedback on this important matter and I look forward to continuing to work with you to ensure you have the tools and resources you need to grow your business and create jobs.

Sincerely,

Karen Mills
Administrator

Leading the Military toward a More Secure Energy Future

Posted by White House

October 13^th is the 235^th Anniversary of the founding of the United States Navy. So it was incredibly appropriate that today I had the opportunity to speak at two events focused on our military’s energy policy, because how the Navy and Marine Corps have harnessed energy has shaped our history since the birth of the Republic. And how energy is used and produced in the United States will continue to affect both our national security, and the strategic and tactical capabilities of our forces, long into the future.

The military and the United States depend too much on fossil fuels. But over the last two years the Department of the Navy has made significant strides to change that, and is moving toward the President’s vision of a new energy future powered by alternative energy. The reasons for making this change are clear. First and foremost, energy reform is about the lives of our troops. For every 24 fuel convoys that go into Afghanistan, we lose one American, killed or wounded. That is too high a price to pay for energy.

We also saw the consequences of our dependence on fossil fuels when the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico this past April. The subsequent spill not only released a torrent of oil into the Gulf, but also began a chain reaction of events that dramatically affected the livelihoods of millions of Americans living along the coast. For months, I saw those impacts first-hand, as I worked on behalf of the President to create a plan that would allow for long-term ecosystem, health, and economic recovery on the Gulf Coast.

And we’ve seen that energy security is not just an American issue. Just two days ago, I returned from a trip to Europe, and what was continually reinforced to me was that energy, or more appropriately denial of energy, can be used as a weapon – one just as effective as tanks and airplanes.

Over the past year, the Navy and Marine Corps have worked towards ambitious goals, reducing our fossil fuel usage and investing in energy research and new projects so that by 2020, half of all the energy we use – afloat and ashore – will come from alternative sources.

In support of those goals, today Administrator Karen Mills of the Small Business Administration and I signed a memorandum of understanding to provide contract opportunities for small businesses on sustainable energy programs, pilots, and initiatives. This agreement was accompanied by the launch of the SECNAV Green Biz Ops website, which is designed to be the single Department of the Navy source for listing alternative energy products and services, energy conservation projects, and energy technologies.

Through these initiatives, and through continued development and testing of biofuels and other alternative energies, the Navy and Marine Corps will continue to lead the military towards a better and more secure energy future. Godspeed.

Ray Mabus is the Secretary of the Navy

Open for Questions: Small Business Issues with SBA Administrator Karen Mills

Posted by White House

September 29th at 2 PM EDT, the White House is hosting a special live chat with Karen Mills, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. She'll answer small business owners' questions about The Small Business Jobs Act and opportunities for small businesses as part of the Recovery Act and the Affordable Care Act.

Submit your question now at OPEN Forum, and American Express will select from among the most popular to ask on the 29th. Then be sure to tune in next Wednesday at 2 PM EDT to watch at whitehouse.gov/live or OPEN Forum.