[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 161 (Tuesday, October 23, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H11851]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 SCHIP

  (Mr. ISRAEL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ISRAEL. Madam Speaker, last week, despite the best efforts of the 
Democratic majority and about 44 Republicans, we were unable to 
override the President's veto of health insurance for the children of 
poor and working families. Now, I listened to the argument that we 
can't afford providing health care for our children, despite the fact 
that our SCHIP program was entirely paid for.
  Look, Madam Speaker, I believe that a strong Nation can do both. You 
can be fiscally responsible and you can take care of your children. 
Good families manage to be fiscally responsible and take care of their 
children. It is just a matter of priorities. I will say, Madam Speaker, 
that I was struck by some of the mispriorities that I heard about. The 
same people who said that we can't afford health insurance for our 
children increased spending 7 percent a year since 2001 and voted to 
increase our debt limit 4 out of the past 5 years. The difference is 
that they spent on the wrong things. No spending? We can't afford 
health care for children but billions of dollars in tax cuts for the 
most profitable oil companies on Earth? We can't afford spending for 
health insurance for our children but billions of dollars in spending 
in no-bid contracts for Halliburton? We have increased the debt. We are 
putting it on our kids' shoulders, and now we are telling our kids we 
can't afford to help them with the x-rays.

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