WASHINGTON, DC – As the House of Representatives unsuccessfully attempted to override President Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Energy and Commerce Committee Vice Chair Diana DeGette (D-CO) assailed House Republicans who voted to sustain President Bush’s veto saying they “failed to stand up for America’s children.”

“I stand with the 81 percent of Americans who support this bipartisan, compromise bill that gives health care to 10 million poor children in this country. It builds upon the strong foundation of SCHIP, and covers almost four million additional children. 

“The Republicans have tried to distort the language of this bill, but here are the real facts:  The bill does not cover adults.  The bill does not cover people who are here illegally, and it does not cover the wealthy.  It is fully paid for. Who does it cover? It covers over 10 million low-income children nationwide. We should put the working families of this nation above a politically motivated veto that denies health care to America’s children.

“We in Congress should hang our heads in shame if the wealthiest country in the world refuses to provide basic health care to the children of our land. While we fell short of the votes needed to override the President’s veto, we will not let the health care for these children lapse. However, we will not negotiate against ourselves – and we will not compromise on any proposal that provides health care to any fewer than 10 million children.”

A CBS News poll released just yesterday highlighted the American people’s overwhelming support for the bipartisan children’s health insurance bill passed by the House and Senate and vetoed by the President. More than eight in 10 Americans favor expanding the program and a majority would even pay higher taxes to do so. The poll found that 81 percent of Americans favor expanding SCHIP. Of those that support the bill, 74 percent would be willing to pay higher taxes to cover the measure.