[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 156 (Tuesday, October 16, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H11554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMARKS ON THE SCHIP VETO OVERRIDE

  (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the 
SCHIP program and urge all of my colleagues to vote to override the 
President's veto of this bill.
  While the number of uninsured adults has steadily climbed over the 
past 10 years, the number of uninsured children in our Nation has 
declined by nearly a third. This is a direct result of the SCHIP 
program which began in 1997 with the goal, and indeed the national 
commitment, of providing health insurance for children whose parents 
cannot afford private health coverage. I was proud to be a part of a 
Congress that was able to craft a responsible and critical 
reauthorization of the SCHIP program, one that would ensure that all 
eligible children can participate.
  However, while Democrats and Republicans here in Congress were able 
to put politics aside for the sake of this critical program, the 
President chose not to do so. His veto means that thousands of children 
in Rhode Island and millions more across the country will be denied 
access to health insurance.
  I urge all of my colleagues to vote to override the President's veto 
and show our support for a program that has been tremendously 
successful in supporting working families, strengthening our health 
care system, and keeping our children healthy.

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