This afternoon, the Senate will finally have the opportunity to vote on one of the many jobs bills that have passed the House of Representatives on a bipartisan basis but have so far gone nowhere in the Democrat-run Senate.

The bill would repeal a requirement that federal, state, and local governments withhold 3% of any payment to a contractor they do business with for taxes. Instead of investing in their business and hiring workers, these contractors have to send their money to the government, even if they wind up not owing that much in taxes.

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA), who is sponsoring the bill in the Senate, explained the reasons for repealing this mandate in the Weekly Republican Address. “[A]ll the mandate will do is, is take more money out of our economy at a time when quite frankly we can least afford it. And as a result, businesses will have less money to hire and pay new workers. The costs of enforcing this unfunded mandate will actually be higher than the revenue it raises by almost eight to one; now only in Washington does this make sense; listen, it’s a job killer.”

This bill received 405 votes in the House, among those 170 Democrats. The Senate version is co-sponsored by a number of Democrats, as well. Further, the White House has signaled its support for this bill, as it was one of the few bipartisan proposals included in President Obama’s recommendation to Congress in September.

This legislation stands in stark contrast to the series of partisan bills Democrats have pushed in the last two months, clearly designed to fail and make a political point. They were stuffed with more temporary stimulus spending that has failed to live up to any of the promises of Democrats about turning the economy around or “saving or creating” jobs. Further, they all included permanent tax hikes in the middle of a recession. They attracted bipartisan opposition and failed.

So what will Democrats do? As Sen. Brown put it, “[T]he decision pretty much rests with Majority Leader Harry Reid. Are we going to do something for the American people, or are we going to let politics win out again? . . . This jobs bill comes at the right time, for the right reasons, and it deserves a prompt vote on the Senate floor, without any gimmicks that will delay or jeopardize passage, so the President can sign it into law right away.”

Related:

Rasmussen Reports: 20% Say U.S. Government Has Consent of the Governed

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