[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 13 (Saturday, January 20, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H586]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          OPEN THE GOVERNMENT

  (Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in great 
frustration with the partisanship that is being shown about a 
bipartisan program to help children and about keeping our government 
open.
  The Children's Health Insurance Program provides affordable and 
comprehensive medical coverage for children under 19 whose families do 
not qualify for Medicaid but cannot access insurance through a private 
plan.
  Thousands of my constituents rely on this program, and we are trying 
to reauthorize it for 6 years, the longest in the program's history.
  Mr. Speaker, there is nothing controversial about CHIP. Keeping the 
government open is a fundamental responsibility of Congress, and a 
government shutdown is irresponsible and unproductive. We must provide 
certainty to servicemembers and Federal workers who rely on a 
functioning government to support their families.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues, particularly those on the other 
side of the aisle, to prevail upon Senate Democrats to open the 
government up. We can continue these important policy discussions with 
an open government.

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