[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 21078]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    DEMOCRATS ARE WORKING TO ENSURE MORE CHILDREN HAVE HEALTH CARE; 
                          REPUBLICANS OBSTRUCT

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, yesterday both the Energy and Commerce 
Committee and the Ways and Means Committee began marking up a 
comprehensive bill that ensures that millions of vulnerable children 
have access to health insurance through the Children's Health Insurance 
Program, otherwise known as CHIP. Democrats are proud of this 
legislation because it allows us to cover almost every child now 
eligible for the program.
  Since it was created a decade ago, CHIP has received strong 
bipartisan support here in Washington. But that all changed yesterday 
when Republicans in both committees used every tactic available to them 
to stall us from moving forward with this legislation.
  It's sad that Republicans refuse to engage in a substantive 
discussion on the future of CHIP. If Republicans were serious about 
strengthening this important children's health program, they would stop 
playing games and would allow a constructive debate to occur. These 
delaying tactics show that Republicans have no interest in ensuring our 
children have access to quality health care.
  The record is clear. Democrats wants to cover kids; Republicans 
don't.

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