For Immediate Release
January 23, 2008 |
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Cullen Schwarz
Office: 202.225.4961
Mobile: 202.225.0471 |
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Levin Statement on Attempted S-CHIP Veto Override |
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(Washington D.C.)- Congressman Sander Levin (D-Royal Oak) issued the following statement in response to House Republicans blocking of an override of President Bush’s veto of an expansion of the federal S-CHIP program today:
“The question of whether the federal government is finally going to do more to provide health coverage to children who need it is not going to go away. This is not an issue of partisan politics. It’s not a complicated issue either. It’s simply a matter or doing what’s right.
“No American child should be without access to decent health care. This is especially true given the worsening economic conditions that are battering Michigan and every other state. Rising unemployment results in more American families losing their health insurance.
“A new study by the Joint Economic Committee underscores the fact that between 700,000 and 1.1 million additional children, 35,000 in Michigan alone, will enroll in Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Programs each year due to slowing employment growth. But state budgets have been hard hit by the economic downturn. They don’t have the resources to provide health care coverage to millions of kids that already need it, let alone all the new children who will need help due to the economic downturn.
“That’s why it is so disappointing that a small number of House Republicans prevented an override of the President’s veto of S-CHIP legislation today.”
The legislation vetoed by President Bush provided a $35 billion expansion of the S-CHIP program and would have provided health care coverage to 10 million children. While a vast majority of the House and greater than two-thirds, veto proof majority of the Senate support S-CHIP expansion the House fell just 15 votes short of the two-thirds threshold needed to override the president’s veto. The final House vote was 260-152 in favor of the override.
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To Contact Congressman Levin: -
Email Congressman Levin In Michigan: 27085 Gratiot Ave, Roseville, MI 48066 | (586) 498-7122 | (248) 968-2025
In Washington: 1236 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 | (202) 225-4961
