| Clyburn on President's Veto of Children's Healthcare Bill
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
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WASHINGTON, DC—House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn today released the following statement in response to President Bush’s veto of the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007, legislation that provides health insurance coverage for 10 million low-income children:
“Today, the President has forsaken one of America’s most vulnerable and deserving populations, our nation’s uninsured children. In vetoing the bipartisan Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, the Bush Administration is denying 10 million needy children vital health care services and insurance coverage.
“I call on my colleagues in Congress to join the broad bipartisan consensus of Senators, Representatives, Governors, and advocacy groups who want to improve the quality of health care that America’s children receive and override the president’s veto.”
CHIP Floor Statement
Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the 112,000 uninsured children in my home state of South Carolina and the millions of other uninsured children across this country.
Many of the uninsured children in my state come from low-income and working families, most of whom devote nearly all of their earnings toward providing their children with basic necessities such as shelter, food, and clothing. Without CHIP, most of these families would not be able to provide their children with the health care coverage they deserve.
In vetoing this bill, President Bush has shown the American people that his priorities are not with our nation’s uninsured. His priorities are not with the millions of families struggling to make ends meet.
This President would have you believe that it’s more important to reach out to America’s millionaires and billionaires. Because, according to President Bush, they are the ones who have been left behind, not our children, not our uninsured, not our hard working families.
By opposing this legislation, the President is rebuking an overwhelming majority of Americans. CHIP has broad bipartisan support in the Senate and House. 43 Governors and 300 advocacy groups have endorsed this legislation.
Support for this bill is high because it seeks to do what’s right. It is right to insure children from poor and low-income families. It is right to extend coverage to 2.4 million uninsured minority children.
So I encourage my colleagues to do what’s right and support this legislation. In doing what’s right you will be standing up for the uninsured. In doing what’s right you will be standing up for millions of hard working American families. In doing what’s right you will be putting the needs of our children first!
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