[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 149 (Wednesday, October 3, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H11231-H11236]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H11231]]
                                 SCHIP

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 18, 2007, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ellison) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with the very, very wonderful 
company of my freshman Members.
  Mr. Speaker, since the 110th Congress began, we have, as a class, 
stepped forward to try to do everything we could to help the American 
people see a new way forward for America. And this week, we have seen 
that the distinction and the differences between our view of caring for 
the health of all Americans and that of the President were brought into 
very sharp contrast, very sharp contrast in that the President has 
vetoed SCHIP.
  Mr. Speaker, before I turn it over to my very able classmates, I just 
want to point out that we're not rising today to talk about health care 
and SCHIP to throw partisan darts or anything like that. We recognize 
and respect and appreciate and even are quite grateful for members of 
the Republican Caucus in both Houses who have come forward to join and 
say that the health of our children is very important, in fact, it's 
sacred, and that all Americans should come together to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, the bipartisan SCHIP reauthorization bill, which was 
vetoed by the President, is supported by 67 Senators, including 18 
Republicans. It is supported by 43 Governors, including 16 Republican 
Governors, and I'm proud to say my own Governor, Tim Pawlenty. Governor 
Pawlenty knows that he and I have disagreed on things in the past, but 
we're together on this, that children's health must be cared for by 
adults.
  The bill that was vetoed today is supported by more than 270 
organizations, literally representing millions of Americans, and has 
very strong support from the American people at large.
  Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to get us started today. I have much more 
to say, but I don't want to delay any longer because I know that my 
very excellent difference-maker classmates have much to say about this 
issue. So without any further delay, I'd like to offer the microphone 
to the very able, very excellent, honorable Mr. Sarbanes from Maryland.
  Mr. SARBANES. I thank my colleague. And I know we have a number of 
people here that are going to speak, and if at any time I say something 
where you would like me to yield to add to the discussion, please let 
me know as we move forward.
  There is no more important issue than children's health insurance 
coverage. And I think it's incomprehensible to certainly all of us here 
this evening who are talking about the issue, but I think to most 
Americans, that the President of the United States initially even 
threatened to veto, but then today took the action of vetoing this bill 
which would increase to 10 million children the number that are covered 
under this health insurance program.
  I wanted to speak just a moment about two faces on this issue that my 
life has intersected with. They come from the State of Maryland, and 
actually over the last few months they've become known to millions of 
Americans across the country. The first face is the face of Diamonte 
Driver, who was a young man in Prince George's County, Maryland who had 
a toothache and ended up dying because he didn't get the treatment that 
he needed. If his family had had the coverage available that SCHIP 
provides, his mother could have gotten him to a doctor, a dentist. He 
would have been seen early, like is the experience of most of us when 
we have a toothache, and his life would have been saved.
  I came to know Diamonte because I worked for years with an 
organization called the Public Justice Center in Maryland. And the 
Public Justice Center has been championing increasing Medicaid coverage 
for children in the State of Maryland. And they had worked with the 
Driver family. They were actually working with Diamonte's older 
brother, trying to get him some help that he needed through the 
Medicaid program, and got to know the family that way, and then 
Diamonte's situation occurred. So that hit me right there because I was 
aware of what had happened with this family through my personal 
interaction with that organization. That's the terrible tragic face on 
this issue. That's what happens when the coverage isn't there, when 
children don't get the health care coverage that they need.
  There is a positive face on this issue, which was illustrated by the 
Frost family, Graham and Gemma Frost. Graham Frost was part of the 
Democratic statement across the country this past weekend where he 
talked about how his sister and he were in a terrible car accident, and 
because they were covered by the SCHIP program, they got the treatment 
they needed, it did not bankrupt the family, and that family is intact, 
healthy and able to move forward because of the SCHIP program.
  So, on the one hand you have the example of Diamonte Driver, someone 
who didn't have access to this kind of coverage, and on the other hand 
you have the experience of Graham and Gemma Frost, who did.
  I don't understand how the President can line himself up against 10 
million children in this country. It is mind-boggling to me, and I've 
been trying to figure out why he would do it. I think there's maybe a 
philosophical imperative that he is laboring under, this notion that 
somehow a government program, already proven to work well, can't 
continue to work well because there is this investment in the notion 
that government can't do good things, that government can't design 
programs that work effectively. And so that philosophy apparently this 
administration is prepared to sacrifice. At the alter of that 
philosophy, the government can't do anything right, they're prepared to 
sacrifice the interests of millions and millions of children across 
this country.

                              {time}  1845

  The President made a statement the other day where he said, ``Well, 
what's the problem? If children need to get treatment, they can always 
go to the local emergency room.'' I know we all heard that. Some of us 
were stunned with the callousness of that comment. But I was impressed 
as much with its callousness as I was, or in addition to its 
callousness, as with its lack of insight.
  I have spent 18 years working with hospitals. I know that the 
emergency room of a hospital is the highest-cost part of our system. 
Why would you want children to go there to get treatment when you could 
build clinics and otherwise empower our health care providers, through 
the SCHIP program, to provide service at an earlier stage? Not only is 
it less expensive, but you intervene before children reach a more acute 
condition where the cost of treating them is going to be higher. So 
this, I think, illustrates a fundamental lack of understanding of how 
we can enhance coverage in our health care system.
  Let me just make a couple of final comments here. We didn't send the 
SCHIP bill to the President. We, the Members of the House and the 
Members of the Senate who voted for it, didn't send it to the 
President. We delivered it to the President. We delivered it on behalf 
of America's children. That is what we did. That is our job. We are an 
instrument of the American people, and in this case, of America's 
children, so we delivered this to the President on behalf of America's 
children. His decision to veto it is not a rejection of this Congress. 
It is a rejection of the interests of America's children.
  What I hope Americans all across this country will do, starting 
tonight and going forward over the days to come, is make it perfectly 
clear that they want this Congress to override the veto of the 
President on SCHIP. Call us. Call every Member in this Chamber and make 
that point. Because if you do that, you are going to send a powerful 
message to the President that he made the wrong decision here. In spite 
of the decision he made, we can move forward on behalf of America's 
children.
  I yield back to my colleague and thank him for the time.
  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, if it wouldn't violate the rules of 
decorum, I would clap after Mr. Sarbanes' comment. I thought it was 
very eloquent. I thought the examples he used were very poignant. The 
young man who had a tooth abscess and had that go up into

[[Page H11232]]

his brain and he died as a result of it stands as an indictment against 
our whole Nation. That young man deserves to have all of us, every 
adult in America, stand up and say, change must come, and it must come 
now.
  I just would like to read a quote and see if I could get my colleague 
from Brooklyn's reaction, if I may.
  Yvette Clarke, you are here with us tonight. You are a stalwart. You 
are a clarion voice for the public good. I just want to know what you 
might think about this statement as relates to SCHIP, which is a quote 
from the late Senator and former Vice President Hubert Humphrey, from 
my home State of Minnesota, in which he said that the moral test of any 
government is how it treats those in the dawn of life, the children; 
those in the dusk of life, the elderly; and those in the shadow of 
life, the disadvantaged.
  When you think about this veto of SCHIP and you think about the moral 
test of the Nation, what do you think? What thoughts come to mind?
  Ms. CLARKE. First, let me just thank you as a member of the class of 
2006 to be here with my colleagues this evening to really address what 
is a moral imperative. Taking care of our young, taking care of our 
elderly, being in a position to actually have our future secured by 
making sure that our children are healthy and well-focused, well-
nourished and ready to compete in this Nation is a critical part of 
what makes America America. So to hear that this morning, before the 
President's coffee got cold, he had vetoed the SCHIP legislation, 
bipartisan legislation that we delivered to him on their behalf, was 
really disheartening.
  I think that it is imperative that Americans really press upon this 
body that we make sure that we override this veto. $3.50 a day. That is 
what it would cost us to cover the children who are currently 
uninsured, to provide them with preventive care so that they are able 
to reach their God-given potential, so that they don't have to sit up 
in the classroom with headaches and stomachaches and other ailments, 
perhaps communicable diseases that could cause an outbreak. Meningitis 
was one of the major issues in many of our schoolhouses last year. We 
have a President that sort of stood in the way of that. He has just 
made it unequivocally clear that this is not a policy that he will 
pursue.
  I think it is our obligation as representatives of the people to 
pursue this and make sure that we get it right on their behalf. Hubert 
Humphrey was absolutely right. It is a moral imperative, very much so. 
I hope that every American feels that this evening when they look at 
their children this evening, when they look at their grandchildren this 
evening, they will count their blessings that they are able to sit with 
their child today and their child is not in need of a doctor's care. 
For those who are in need of a doctor's care, that they will pray for a 
mother like Deamonte's mother who went around trying to find coverage 
for her child, who tried to get a doctor to see her son though she did 
not have insurance and who was turned away. As a result, her son met 
his demise.
  My colleague, the doctor is in the House.
  Mr. ELLISON. The doctor is in the House.
  Mr. Speaker, we have a doctor in the House. We are all richly 
benefited by the presence of Dr. Steve Kagen in this Congress. He is 
one of the freshman Members who tells it like it is. Very few people 
are better qualified to talk about health care than he is. He is a 
physician. I think he was probably practicing right up until the day he 
got sworn in.
  We are all very honored to have you here again, Doctor. What do you 
have to say about this veto?
  Mr. KAGEN. Thank you, Mr. Ellison, and thank you, Ms. Clarke. This is 
a very difficult hour to be with you. I cannot tell you how much it 
hurts me, how much it hurts the children of Wisconsin, of New York 
State, of Minnesota, and all the children throughout the country who 
don't know yet that their President has left them behind, that the 
President has turned away from children in need.
  What we are talking about is the difference between seeing a 
physician and gaining access to good health and not. Those children 
that don't get health care don't get well. When you are sick in school, 
you cannot learn. You cannot progress. You cannot move up into the 
middle class.
  This bill, the SCHIP bill, and the veto by this President, a 
President who no longer represents traditional American values, he does 
not represent our values, this is a stark contrast between the two 
parties today. It really asks the question, whose side are we on? I am 
a Democrat. I am proud to be a Democrat. We are on the side of people 
who are in need. It is the role of government, isn't it, to care for 
those who are in need? Not just Hubert Humphrey. It goes back 2,000, 
5,000 years, into all of our cultures, into all of our religious 
beliefs, into all that we hold spiritually sacred. We must care for 
those who are in need.
  The SCHIP bill has been lied about by many politicians. Some have 
said it's going to cover illegals. That's a lie. There are no illegal 
human beings, no illegal citizens covered in SCHIP. It does not cover 
rich people. Ninety percent of people that would be covered by the 
SCHIP bill have incomes below $41,000. Folks, the average cost of 
health care in this country is 12 to 14 grand per year. If you make 
$40,000, you can't afford health insurance today. You mentioned, Ms. 
Clarke, $3.50 a day. What are we spending in the religious civil war in 
Iraq, $400 million a day? $3.50 versus $400 million. The American 
people get it.
  When I go back home to Wisconsin, I am just as frustrated as our 
electorate. People believe their elected officials are not listening to 
them. We are listening. We understand your frustration. We feel it in 
our heart, as well. This is a veto that must be overturned.
  When I was running for Congress, when I left my medical practice, I 
left my medical practice because 30 percent of the time I would write a 
prescription, but my patients either couldn't afford the medication or 
it wasn't covered on the insurance company's list, or they simply 
couldn't get it. They didn't have the money. So I ran for Congress.
  During my trails across the district, I had a 15-minute conversation 
set aside for a Native American activist. That conversation lasted 2\1/
2\ hours. It took me 2 weeks to recover. But she taught me that it is 
politicians who determine who lives and who dies. It is politicians, in 
this House, that will determine who has access to health care and who 
does not. It is politicians that will take us to war based on lies and 
deceptions. We are the people's voice here.
  If you would allow me to take a moment, I would like to express the 
viewpoint of some of the people I represent. Chris Dion in Marinette 
wrote to me and said, ``I am a single person but can't afford medical 
insurance unless it has a very high deductible. Then it is still 
expensive. I have many medical problems and cancer runs in my family. 
But I can't afford tests or treatments because I don't meet 
requirements for free checkups.'' Her story is one of millions.
  Forty-seven million don't have any coverage at all. The SCHIP bill 
makes fiscal sense. It is paid for. It doesn't raise taxes on anyone 
who isn't smoking. It is responsible. It is morally responsible to care 
for those who are in need. In my opinion, the President's veto of this 
bill is morally unacceptable not just to me, not just to me as a 
physician, but as a husband, as a father, as a Congressman. It is 
unacceptable to every citizen everywhere in this country who has a 
human heart. I think we have to work hard with our colleagues in a 
bipartisan manner to care for those who are in need. We can do it with 
the SCHIP bill that we created here in this House, the People's House.
  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to point out that 
this is a bipartisan effort. As we come here and ask that this veto be 
overridden, it is not simply a Democratic initiative. It is also a 
Republican one. Let me tell you, I was really warmed, my heart was 
warmed up when I read the words written by Representative Heather 
Wilson and Representative Ray LaHood, two Republican Members, who sent 
out a Dear Colleague letter for the support of the SCHIP. They wrote, 
``According to Census Bureau data, about 9 million children lack health 
insurance. This SCHIP agreement would cover 3 to 4 million of them by 
investing $35 billion in additional funding in

[[Page H11233]]

children's health insurance over 5 years.''
  Here is what our two Republican colleagues wrote further: ``We urge 
your support for the SCHIP agreement and believe it is the best vehicle 
for reauthorizing the program before it expires.''
  That is what two Republican colleagues had to say about this bill. 
Presumably, they will be with us trying to overturn the veto.
  My point is that as Americans citizens are watching us and watching 
this whole debate unfold here in the Capitol, they should know that 
they don't have to take sides based on party.

                              {time}  1900

  This is something that is simply a moral imperative. It is right, it 
is cost-effective, and improves our health and well-being. It 
demonstrates our commitment to our children. It is right for a whole 
number of reasons, not just one reason.
  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to say, Senator Charles Grassley, who 
is a Republican Member, spoke very eloquently on this. He says, well, I 
am not trying to score political points. Again, it is not politics we 
are talking here. And any of the Democrats that have worked with me I 
know believe in they want to help kids, low-income kids, and we are 
going to not only keep the existing kids on the program, we are going 
to do what the President implied he wanted to do, was to bring more 
kids on. We are going to cover 4 million more kids as a result of what 
we are doing. I think it's up to the President, based on his message, 
to look at what we have done and see if it doesn't fit into that he 
tried to do, that he can't do that with just $5 million.
  So, the point being, Senator Grassley, a Republican, is in support of 
this.
  Ms. CLARKE. Would you put a pin in it right there for me, my 
colleague? I just also wanted to quote two other Senate Republicans. 
Senator Orrin Hatch said, We are talking about kids who basically don't 
have coverage. I think the President has some pretty bad advice on 
this, you think?
  Then Senator Susan Collins says, I can't believe the President would 
veto a program that benefits low-income children.
  Mr. Speaker, we are talking bipartisan effort here. As we salute and 
talk about the heroism of those who would fight for our freedoms 
abroad, we have got to bring some heroics here right now. This is one 
of those issues where the faint of heart should not be casting a vote.
  This goes to the fiber, the core of who we are as a Nation, not as a 
party, not as an individual, but as a Nation. Where are we going to set 
the bar for what is acceptable in leadership and what is not? I say 
that the President in this case has abdicated his responsibility as a 
leader.
  Our children need us. Their health care is critical to the growth and 
development of our communities. For every child that falls ill, we have 
more and more that we have to invest in getting that child to wellness. 
In the meantime, the educational advances that that child should have 
been making have not been made. The turmoil within the home and family, 
the setbacks there, and, by extension, the entire community
  Mr. Speaker, so I just wanted to point out to you and just to 
highlight, as you both have, my colleagues, that this is not a 
Republican issue, this is not a Democrat issue, this is an American 
issue, and we have got to focus on this like a laser. It is now up to 
us in this House of Representatives to make sure that our colleagues 
recognize their responsibility and leadership to override this veto.
  Mr. ELLISON. Dr. Kagen, how are you looking at this?
  Mr. KAGEN. I am just as frustrated as you and the American people. 
Where are you going to run and hide on this vote? There will be no 
place to run and no place to hide. You have to show your cards. Whose 
side are you on? Are you on the side of physicians and nurses who want 
access to their patients and their patients who want access to their 
doctors and nurses? Whose side are you on? We do not sit in the 
boardrooms, we are not the CEOs of insurance companies, but we are 
representative of peoples' voices.
  You quoted some Republican Senators. I will go back home again and 
quote someone who writes to me, Jean, from Appleton: ``What is it with 
this country? Health care for the rich and those in government; the 
rest can just die or try and live with broken bones and illness.'' Or 
Mary Anderson: ``Health care issues, affordability is destroying my 
family and our financial stability.''
  I agree with you, we have to do more. We have done our job. We have 
created a bill that is fiscally responsible, it is socially 
progressive, it is the morally acceptable thing to do. That bill went 
to the Senate. It came back without caring for our senior citizens. It 
got chopped off.
  We have here before the House an opportunity in the next several days 
to have a discussion with the American people about what kind of Nation 
we are. What kind of Nation turns away from its children who are most 
in need?
  Mr. Speaker, now let's just mention something so that people 
listening understand about the eligibility factor. If you have got a 
family income that's below 300 percent of the Federal poverty level, 
you will qualify for this SCHIP program. All of the resources in this 
program will go to the poorest, the poorest working families. These are 
the people that need a boost. These are the people that need a lift up. 
These are the people who need a humane Congress, a Senate and a House 
to move this bill back to the President.
  Let's give President Bush another chance to think this one all the 
way through. My friend, my colleagues, many times I have asked myself: 
Are we really thinking these problems all the way through? Are we 
really using the best judgment? Because it really does matter who your 
mayor is, who your Congressman is, and it really does matter who the 
President, the next President is. Why? Because judgment, good judgment 
must be used in everything we are doing. Otherwise, it could be a 
catastrophe.
  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, I think that the words of Dr. Kagen are on 
the mark. Elections certainly do have consequences. Elections 
absolutely have consequences. I do hope as we deliberate on the next 
phase of this struggle, because the American people should know that we 
will not falter, we will not back down, we will stand strong with them, 
we will stand strong with the children, we will keep the faith, we will 
be in fidelity with them on this issue of health care.
  Mr. Speaker, please let everyone know that we have heard our Speaker 
clearly state that we are not going to back down on this one. This is a 
gut-check issue, and we will be sticking to it. Not only have both 
Democrat and Republican legislators been very clear on the importance 
of this issue, it is bipartisan and it is a moral issue, and our 
Nation's editorial boards have been clear.
  It is important to point out that on October 1, The Washington Post 
editorial stated that President Bush appears determined to veto, and he 
did now, the $35 billion expansion of the State Children's Health 
Insurance Program that the House and Senate approved last week. The 
administration's proposal to increase spending by less $5 billion would 
fall $14 billion short of what is needed to maintain the existing 
coverage in SCHIP alone, never mind adding the millions of eligible but 
uncovered children the President once said he was determined to sign 
up. Where is the commitment in that?
  The Austin American Statesman editorial states on October 1: ``For 
many kids, the doctor is not in.'' What kind of statement is that, doc?
  The Atlanta Journal Constitution: ``Kids lose out to politics,'' 
screams the headline on September 30.
  The Chicago Tribune editorial: ``A sound children's health bill.'' 
Stating further, ``We urge the President to sign the measure. If he 
vetoes it, Congress should override that decision. We share the concern 
over stealthy leaps toward government-sponsored and universal health 
care. But this bill doesn't do that. It is a reasonable expansion of a 
vital program.''

  The New York Times editorial: ``Overcoming a veto and helping 
children.''
  The Daily News, New York, editorial. ``Presidential malpractice,'' 
screams the headline. ``President Bush is threatening a veto of 
legislation with broad bipartisan support that would extend health 
coverage to millions of

[[Page H11234]]

uninsured children. He is wrong. Dead wrong.''
  My colleagues, do the editorial writers have it right or wrong?
  Ms. CLARKE. What I think most Americans find most mind-boggling is 
just the mindset that our President has been in in terms of his whole 
rationale for the veto. He at one point said the SCHIP plan is an 
incremental step toward the goal of government-run health care for 
every American.
  I am saying to myself, first of all, there is a bit of hypocrisy 
here, because we have the Commander-in-Chief, who I believe gets a 
Federal health care plan himself, saying that we are moving towards 
government-run health care, when he knows in fact that government 
doctors and government health plans do not deliver the services of 
SCHIP. It is private doctors, private health care that do, under 
private insurance. So, there is this false justification he came up 
with.
  He at one point even talked about, well, the SCHIP bill, the proposal 
would result in taking a program meant to help poor children and 
turning it into one that covers children in households with incomes up 
to $83,000 a year. I am saying to myself, this bill does not expand 
eligibility for SCHIP. The focus of the bill is on expanding health 
care coverage for low-income children who have no health insurance.
  So there have been these false statements in justification of a 
decision that he made, which I really believe was in retribution, quite 
frankly. When we get to that level of angst, I guess, in our 
decisionmaking, it is time to sort of pack it up.
  I think right now it is important that, as a legislative body, we 
take control and consciousness of the moves that we have to make on 
behalf of the American people, because, obviously, our Commander-in-
Chief has decided to submerge himself into a bipartisan fight with 
himself. We have said here that we agree as Democrats and Republicans 
that this is important, and he is off on a whole other planet.
  Mr. ELLISON. In fact, right in this Chamber just this past week this 
bill passed 265-159. When do you see things pass with 259 votes, unless 
they are completely noncontroversial? That is overwhelming.
  Doctor, you worked in this field. You are a professional. You are in 
the healing arts. Is SCHIP a program where the government would be 
telling doctors like yourself how many pills to prescribe? Are they 
ordering every facet of the patient-doctor relationship? What is the 
real truth about this?
  Mr. KAGEN. The reality is that it takes doctors and nurses to get 
into the room to get health care done. If you don't have a doctor and a 
nurse in the room, you don't have health care. And to get a child into 
a room, you need a parent. That is why in Wisconsin, by expanding in 
this State grant money, the State of Wisconsin sought to increase the 
enrollment of those children who are eligible, and thereby they covered 
the mother of these children who are close to poverty. By mothers being 
covered, the enrollment went up. It went up because they brought their 
children in.
  I have practiced medicine for over 30 years, and I will tell you, I 
never saw a kid in the office unless the mother or one of the 
caregivers was there. So if you are going to get a child to a doctor, 
you have to include, in my opinion, the parent.
  But this overarching theme is really about values. When the President 
vetoed this bill, it was a reflection of his values. And how you and 
your homes spend your money, your hard-earned money, is a reflection of 
your family values. How our Nation spends its money is a reflection of 
our national values. And there I come back to the $3.50 a day for a 
child and the $400 million a day making war and occupying Iraq.
  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, I just want to take this opportunity, it is 
an excellent segue that the doctor made. While the President finds it 
repugnant to have $35 billion in new moneys over 5 years, which would 
be what SCHIP calls for, the President in his new Iraq war supplement 
asks for an additional $45 billion, totaling close to $200 billion for 
the war in Iraq for the next year. That is $200 billion for the next 
year. And we can't afford a $7 billion increase for our children to get 
health care?
  So please keep in this mind that this compromise to reauthorize SCHIP 
is something very small in comparison to the values that he seems to 
hold dear, which is waging war, in a war that we never should have been 
in, based on a false premise. For that he is willing to give all. But 
to secure the national health of our children, no money for that.
  Ms. CLARKE. A fraction of the cost, my colleague; a fraction of the 
cost of what we are spending every day to build democracies overseas. 
He is not willing to invest in strengthening our democracy here at 
home. It is fundamental. It just almost seems like a bad dream.

                              {time}  1915

  Another thing that the President has said, the SCHIP proposal would 
move millions of American children who now have private health 
insurance into government-run health care. What planet is he on, 
Doctor? The main impact of this bill would be extending coverage to 
low-income children who would otherwise be uninsured.
  Mr. KAGEN. I look at it as an investment. The children are our 
future. If we don't invest in our children's health, if we don't invest 
in their education, this Nation has no future. So we must make 
important decisions based on our values. We must invest in our 
children.
  In Wisconsin, 95,000 children and 110,000 adults are covered by 
SCHIP. We could enroll an additional 37,800 children with the 
authorization with a President who will sign a bill instead of vetoing 
a bill.
  I believe we need a President who will work with us in a bipartisan 
way, a real uniter so we can take that step forward and build a 
healthier Nation for all of us in these United States. I can't agree 
more with you.
  This is not government-run health care; it is not even close. It is 
an investment in our next generation, the generation we are going to 
come to depend on as we age.
  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, if I might just propose that we spend some 
time sort of talking about what Americans can do, what Americans might 
think about doing as we move forward. Of course today, action was taken 
in the Congress that on a date certain 2 weeks from now, we will take 
up the override issue. That is very important for Americans to know.
  In a couple of weeks, we will be right back here in the same Chamber 
and we are going to see what is what. Who is who and what is what. We 
are going to be counting. On that day there will be no hiding, and 
everybody who has an election certificate will be called upon to say 
where they are really at when it comes to caring for the health of our 
children.
  Mr. Speaker, I think it is important now to talk about what American 
citizens might consider doing. Of course people do whatever they want, 
it's a free country, but people feel strongly about SCHIP, and 70 
percent of the people believe it should have been passed. So what they 
might consider doing.
  Ms. Clarke, what might an American citizen do as we are moving toward 
this showdown on SCHIP?
  Ms. CLARKE. When we look at our families and communities, they are 
called upon to do so much all the time. But these are very special 
times we are in. It calls for us to multitask. It calls for us to go 
above the call of duty to address real life-and-death issues. SCHIP is 
a life-and-death issue. It is here, it is now, it is our neighbors. It 
is our coworkers' children. It is the folks who attend religious 
services with us. It is their children. We need to call our 
representatives, e-mail our representatives. We need to make sure that 
the Speaker's office, the whip's office, the majority leader's office, 
we need to make sure that we make our voices heard, jam the phone 
lines.
  Mr. ELLISON. Representative Clarke, one of the things I really enjoy 
about serving with you, you are a person of tremendous faith. And also 
I know that Dr. Kagen is a man of great faith as well. In fact, only a 
few weeks ago we recognized Yom Kippur, a sacred holiday for our Jewish 
brethren and sisters. One of the phrases they use from the scripture 
and cite is, Let there be no needy among you.
  I know you come from the Christian tradition. It is interesting to me 
because I noticed that one of the things

[[Page H11235]]

that Jesus did is that he healed people and he didn't charge them.
  Ms. CLARKE. No, he didn't.
  Mr. ELLISON. Let's talk about this idea. Would it be okay, and people 
can do whatever they want, we are not telling anybody what to do, but 
what somebody might do is ask their pastor to sort of talk about SCHIP 
and its moral implications.
  Ms. CLARKE. Their pastors, their imams, and their rabbis. We need to 
make sure that our children are protected, and we have an opportunity 
to do so. We should not miss this opportunity. We don't know when it 
will come our way again.
  Just think about the lives in between, the children's lives in 
between that will be adversely impacted if we are unable to override 
the President's veto.
  We don't have any time to waste. The imperative is there. And I think 
there isn't a parent, an aunt, an uncle or grandparent who doesn't 
understand what it is to stay up late at night when their child is ill 
and to feel helpless. Compound that with the fact that you can't even 
go to a doctor until, as your President says, they are sick enough to 
be wheeled into an emergency room. There has got to be a better way, my 
colleagues.
  Mr. ELLISON. Dr. Kagen, what might Americans consider doing? For 
people who feel SCHIP is a worthy program, a meritorious program, 
overwhelmingly Americans agree on both sides of the aisle, so what 
might they consider doing? Particularly people who are busy and working 
a couple of jobs, getting kids and getting groceries, is this the type 
of thing people might want to get active on?
  Mr. KAGEN. Most people I know in Wisconsin are hardworking and they 
are just trying to get through the day, just like us. We are trying to 
get through the day and get our rest in. But this is a time for our 
country to raise up and ask questions, to find out about the conscience 
of America, and really ask the question about what kind of Nation we 
are and in which direction we are going to turn.
  If we stay on this divisive path, this path of partisan politics, we 
are not going to be able to solve any of these complex problems we 
face, whether it is war and peace or health and disease. If we stay on 
the path that the President has put us on with his veto, it is an 
expensive path. He is asking our children and their caregivers and 
parents to take them to the emergency room and not to their doctor. The 
President is asking us to take a path not towards prevention, to 
prevent illness and to prevent the big bill that is coming, but he is 
taking us down the road that leads to an end we don't want to be on. 
It's a path we cannot afford to take. We have taken a path, a wrong 
path, that led us into Iraq. It may lead us into a recession yet to 
come that no American citizen can afford. It will at some point in time 
raise our taxes, depreciate the value of our dollar and create 
inflation in this country because we haven't paid for a dime of our 
involvement in Iraq yet. We borrowed the money from China, and it is 
our next generation, this generation of children that won't be healthy, 
that won't be working.
  We understand it makes sense. If you are working, you earn money and 
you pay taxes. We can lower people's taxes by having a healthy 
generation of children. It is just that simple. If our Republican 
colleagues would understand, if it is just about money, we are going to 
save you money. Give our children, the children who are most in need, 
an opportunity to see their physicians and their nurse practitioners. 
Give them an opportunity to be healthy. They will get the education 
they need, and we will pay less in taxes and we will all be better off 
for it.
  What can people do? The first thing they have to do is believe. 
People must truly believe there is hope. I do believe our class, our 
class of 2006 is America's hope. It is America's hope for a different 
direction, a positive change and a new direction. I think by our being 
here tonight, by staying overtime and having this conversation with one 
another, hopefully the American people are listening to it and they 
will begin to have faith and hope that there is going to be a positive 
change.
  And I hope that the President is listening, if not to us, he should 
listen to the American people. I will share with you one other 
constituent's thoughts. Donna Killian: ``Our country desperately needs 
health care reform. In this very wealthy country, there should be no 
one denied good health care because of a lack of insurance or income. 
I, myself, am disabled and 54 years old. I am disabled due to 
excruciating, chronic pain all over my body. If something happened to 
my husband, then I would be uninsurable.''
  What kind of Nation are we when Donna has to be concerned about this, 
when every single American understands they could be next? Lose their 
insurance, get sick, and lose your house.
  As I stand here tonight, as my colleagues know, I respectfully 
declined my health care coverage when I came here. I wanted to make a 
statement that until each and every American has that same opportunity 
to make a selection of health care coverage, I didn't feel it was right 
for me to accept something that everyone back home was not also 
offered.

  I think this Congress has to consider health care a crisis. It is a 
national nightmare. We should consider health care access more like 
hunger. If every Member of Congress was hungry, we would solve this 
problem in a week. If every single Member of Congress had no coverage, 
with the bills you can get in the emergency room or if you get cancer, 
we would solve this problem in several weeks.
  Again, I come back to believing in hope. I do believe that we will 
have an opportunity to take this Nation in a different direction, a 
positive change. My only hope is that it happens sooner than later. But 
mark my words, it may not occur until we paint the White House door a 
different color, from red to blue.
  Ms. CLARKE. We are already moving in a new direction. Under the 
leadership of our Speaker  Nancy Pelosi, this Congress has risen to a 
new level of stridency and of focus with regard to the issues that are 
impacting every district across this Nation. So we have to be very 
clear. We may not see the tangible results right this second, but they 
are all lined up and we have already seen a number of really 
extraordinary pieces of legislation passed here in the House. We have 
even seen the College Cost Reduction Act signed into law.
  We should not overlook those things, and understand that none of that 
came easy for us. We had to put ourselves on the line. We had to stand 
up and be counted. We will do that again with SCHIP. This is just 
another bump in the road, but I believe without struggle there is no 
progress. We need to make sure that the American people, the parents, 
the grandparents, tune in and let their voices be known.
  Mr. ELLISON. I agree with both of you, my colleagues. We have to 
believe. We have to believe we can make a change in the same way people 
believed that we could have workers' rights, and we believed that we 
could have civil rights, and we believed that we could have a freer and 
better America.
  Ms. CLARKE. And women's rights.
  Mr. ELLISON. Let's never forget women's rights. People who made those 
things happen believed they could happen even though they didn't exist 
at the time. We have to believe, as Dr. Kagen says.
  But it wouldn't hurt anything if we wrote in to our local newspapers 
and church bulletins to let people know how we felt about this issue. 
It wouldn't hurt to talk to our rabbis and our ministers and our imams 
in our faith communities to talk about this issue, make it sort of an 
issue that we talk about and make sure that people understand what is 
going on.
  It wouldn't hurt to have a coffee klatsch. Invite some people over to 
talk about it. It wouldn't hurt to talk to the teachers and the 
principals in the local community about it. That wouldn't hurt a thing. 
Build awareness. Help get a teacher's perspective on what it is like to 
teach a child who is coughing and sneezing and wheezing and can't 
really focus on his or her studies.
  We can e-mail and write and call in to our elected officials. That is 
something we certainly should do. It is time for people to come 
together and demand an override to this awful veto.
  I would invite my colleagues to make some final concluding remarks.
  Ms. CLARKE. Let me start by thanking you, Representative Keith 
Ellison of Minnesota, for leading the class of

[[Page H11236]]

2006 on the floor as we really get to the substance of a real 
disappointment to the American people today, which was the veto of our 
SCHIP legislation, the bipartisan SCHIP legislation, and just to say 
that when we provide for the least of these in our society, we are 
building a stronger Nation. When we recognize that no one is disposable 
in our society, we have an obligation to reach out and to provide for 
those who can't provide for themselves.

                              {time}  1930

  If we take care of a child today who's low income, that child becomes 
a productive part of our society. They will be taking care of us as we 
grow older, and it's a cycle and it's a circle, and when we understand 
that, then we know how important this vote is coming up. And we want to 
urge our colleagues across party lines, hold the line on SCHIP, hold 
the line on SCHIP. Our low-income children, our children in our 
communities, our families who are just struggling to make ends meet 
need us to be there for them to override this veto.
  I want to thank my colleagues for having me in the class of 2006 and 
speaking out today and turn it over to my colleague, Dr. Kagen of 
Wisconsin.
  Mr. KAGEN. I thank my colleague, and some have said you ain't going 
nowhere; there's more work to be done.
  Ms. CLARKE. That's right.
  Mr. KAGEN. I want to thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Speaker, for 
sharing with the American people what's happening here in their House, 
the House of Representatives.
  I would remind everyone here on the floor and at home that we are all 
in this together. As the poorest among us go, so go we all. We have an 
obligation to care for all those who are in need right here and right 
now, and by working together I'm absolutely convinced we have the 
opportunity to change America, but we can't do it without the people's 
help.
  They should call their Representatives. They should e-mail and write, 
but bear in mind, we have writing that's slow mail. Send an e-mail. 
Call your local Congressperson. Express yourself. Your voice will be 
heard.
  It is our duty to listen to the American people. That is exactly what 
we've been doing, and their voice has been heard tonight in the House 
of Representatives. We must stand up and fight for the health care for 
our children on whose future we depend.
  Mr. ELLISON. The Members of the difference makers, the majority 
makers, the class of 2006 who are in this 110th Congress ran on a 
platform of change, succeeded on that platform as Americans all across 
the country endorsed that platform of change, coming together from 
diverse parts around the country, all for one thing, which is to 
elevate and uplift the public good and the interests of the American 
people. Whether it's on the issue of war and peace or disease and 
wellness, or whatever it may be, education, workers' rights, civil 
rights, environmental sustainability, whatever it is, we will continue 
to raise our voices because we were brought here to bring change.
  We're fresh off the campaign trail, knocking on doors, talking to 
folks at the doorstep about what they need and what they care about. 
Our idealism is high. Our energy is high. Our resolve is strong, and we 
will be here for the American people.
  Mr. KAGEN. Together, we will.
  Mr. ELLISON. Together, we will.
  Ms. CLARKE. Together, we will.
  Mr. ELLISON. That's right.

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