[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 27264]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    RHETORIC VERSUS REALITY ON THE BIPARTISAN CHILDREN'S HEALTH BILL

  (Ms. LEE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, House Republicans have now had 2 weeks to 
sift through the rhetoric and reality of the bipartisan children's 
health insurance bill that the President vetoed. When the President 
vetoed the bill, he said it was a step toward government-run health 
care. Surely, he can't believe that. If he understood the program, he 
would know that it is a Federal-State partnership to ensure that 
children have access to private health insurance.
  The President also says that the bill attempts to expand the SCHIP 
program to upper middle class children who are not currently eligible. 
Again that is false. It does not expand the program. There are now 
about 12 million children who are eligible for SCHIP. Today we are 
reaching 6 million of those kids. Our legislation would allow us to 
reach an additional 4 million children who are already eligible for the 
program.
  The President also says that our bill is too expensive. But he 
ignores the fact that it is fully paid for. And he is asking for $190 
billion more to fund the occupation of Iraq. Even if the President does 
not make children his priority, let us do so by overriding his veto on 
Thursday. Republicans have had 2 weeks to realize that the President's 
reasons for vetoing this bill simply do not add up. So they should join 
us in overriding the veto.

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