[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 27591]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                PRESIDENT'S VETO OF CHIP REAUTHORIZATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Clay). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply saddened that we have failed 
to override the President's veto of legislation to reauthorize the 
Children's Health Insurance Program. This action represents a misstep 
of historic proportions.
  It also saddens me that several Members on the other side applauded 
when this body failed to override the President's veto. By voting 
against this bipartisan, bicameral legislation, some Members of 
Congress have turned their backs on more than 10 million poor children 
who need health insurance now.
  Let me be clear. The legislation that was vetoed today was an 
excellent piece of legislation, and our children will be worse off 
without it. The continuing resolution that we passed will temporarily 
cover children who are currently enrolled in CHIP, but the uncertainty 
surrounding the program's future leave our children's futures 
uncertain. Some States are already indicating that they will make cuts 
to the program if they cannot rely upon a steady Federal funding 
stream.
  Further, the continuing resolution fails to address many of the 
critically important measures that we included in the reauthorization. 
Notably, dental, mental, and vision coverage are all absent.
  We need no greater reminder of the need for these provisions than the 
recent death of Deamonte Driver, a 12-year-old boy from my home State 
of Maryland who died when an untreated tooth infection spread to his 
brain. Yes, he died.
  Those who voted against this bill have ignored the calls of more than 
81 percent of the American people and members of the Democratic and 
Republican Parties who support the initiative. Because of their lapse 
in judgment, 4 million uninsured children, 65,500 of them from my home 
State of Maryland, will be denied the coverage that Congress intended 
to grant them. Further, my colleagues who voted against this bill have 
shut the doctor's office door on approximately 6 million children who 
currently rely on CHIP for health insurance.
  It chills the conscience to think of all those children who will be 
forced out of care.
  It is particularly upsetting to consider how this will affect 
children with chronic disease who rely upon the CHIP benefit to get the 
care they need to simply survive. Lives are in the balance.
  Bipartisan coalitions, including the National Governors Association 
and the United States Conference of Mayors, recognize the unique moral 
obligation we have with this legislation. Earlier this week, Mayor 
Sheila Dixon of my hometown of Baltimore held a press conference to 
call on Congress to override the President's veto. She also joined 20 
mayors from across the country in signing a letter making the same 
appeal. Unfortunately, some of our colleagues in this Chamber 
stubbornly failed to acknowledge the reality that so many of us have 
clearly seen.
  Mr. Speaker, I could talk about the benefits of reauthorizing CHIP as 
I have in the past statements before this Chamber, but today I will 
take a different approach by letting my Republican colleagues speak for 
me. Specifically, Mr. Speaker, I will associate myself with the 
following comments:
  Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa said, ``This is not a 
government takeover of health care. This is not socialized or 
nationalized medicine or anything like that.''
  Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah called the bill ``an honest 
compromise which improves a program that works for America's low-income 
children.''
  Republican Congressman Don Young of Alaska said, ``Issues such as the 
health and well-being of our Nation's children are nothing to play 
politics with and nothing to scrimp on.''
  Republican Congressman Vito Fossella of New York said the bill ``will 
put millions of young people on the road to a longer and healthier 
life.''
  And, finally, Republican Congressman Wayne Gilchrest from my home 
State of Maryland expressed his support for the bill, noting, ``It 
focuses on the lowest income kids and fixes a lot of problems with the 
current program.''
  Mr. Speaker, I deeply regret that the President and some of our 
colleagues lack the foresight to recognize the critical importance of 
passing the CHIP reauthorization. We simply must regroup and pass this 
vital piece of legislation.
  Access to quality care is not a privilege; it is a right. We cannot 
afford to play politics with our children's lives.

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