[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26947]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  THE COST OF THE WAR IN IRAQ COMPARED TO HELPING CHILDREN WITH THEIR 
                              HEALTH CARE

  (Mr. YARMUTH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, last week President Bush vetoed a 
bipartisan bill enacted pursuant to the authority vested in Congress by 
article I of the Constitution that would provide private health 
insurance to 10 million low-income children here in America. His 
reason, the bill was too big.
  While the President refuses to fund health care for our Nation's low-
income children, he has no problem sending billions of dollars to Iraq 
with absolutely no questions asked. Today alone, the President will 
spend $300 million funding the occupation of Iraq. With that money, we 
could insure 246,000 low-income kids. Over the next month, the 
President will spend a whopping $9 billion in Iraq, which would allow 
us to insure 7.4 million kids.
  Mr. Speaker, time and time again, congressional Republicans have 
approved blank checks for the President to send billions to Iraq, and 
now they are concerned about $35 billion for improving the lives of 10 
million low-income children? It is time they reevaluate their 
priorities and join us next week in overriding President Bush's veto.

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