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Washington, D.C.—U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, delivered the following remarks on the House floor today after President Bush vetoed the bipartisan Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act. The President’s veto will deny 10 million low-income, American children of health insurance unless Congress overrides the veto. Today, the House postponed the vote to override the President’s veto until October 17, 2007.
The bill reauthorizes the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for five years and preserves the coverage for all 6.6 million children currently covered by CHIP, including preserving the coverage of nearly 300,000 children in Illinois. The bill also extends health care coverage to 3.8 million additional low-income children, who are currently uninsured, including extending coverage to over 150,000 uninsured children in Illinois.
Congresswoman Schakowsky delivered the following remarks shortly after President Bush vetoed the CHIP Reauthorization Act.
“The deed has been done. This morning the President vetoed the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Now he’s asking for $190 billion for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he vetoed $35 billion that would provide health care to 10 million low-income American children over the next five years.
Let’s be perfectly clear, the President is refusing to spend $7 billion a year on children’s health, while insisting on 10 billion dollars a month in Iraq.
The President and Republicans in Congress say that we cannot afford this bill, but where were the fiscal conservatives when the President demanded hundreds of billions of dollars for the war in Iraq?
He along with many of the Republicans in Congress are willing to throw these hundreds of billions of dollars into a disastrous war. And yet when it comes to providing health care to children, he says that we don’t have the money.
The truth is we do have the money and in fact the children’s health bill is fully paid for, unlike half a trillion dollars that we have already spent on this war.
It is time to say that you are either for covering uninsured American children or you are with the President who prefers to spend his money on an endless war.”
Congresswoman Schakowsky delivered the following remarks before the House voted to postpone the vote to override the President’s veto until October 17, 2007.
“Providing health coverage for 10 million children is important enough to give our constituents time to weigh in on it. Let them consider whether they want to spend $7 billion a year to provide healthcare to 10 million uninsured children—an amount equivalent to two and a half weeks spent on the Iraq war.
Insure our children for $7 billion a year? President Bush runs for the veto pen. Ten billion dollars a month for Iraq? The president asks for $190 billion more.
I urge ask my colleagues to take this time to listen to their constituents. Look into the eyes of an uninsured child. That child could be sitting next to yours, or your grandchild in school.
And remember, unlike the war funding which is all on credit cards—this bill is actually paid for. This is an offer, as someone running for reelection, you can’t afford to refuse.”
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