[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14995]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM

  (Mr. DEUTCH asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, across the Capitol, Republican Senators 
finally decided to cancel the vote on a disastrous health bill that 
could have upended insurance markets and caused 3.2 million Floridians 
to lose coverage, increased premiums in my State by an average of 
$4,000, and destroyed over 180,000 Florida jobs.
  Now, not only did this process threaten the health and financial 
security of tens of millions of Americans, it also delayed 
reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program.
  CHIP expires at the end of this week, but renewing it has taken a 
backseat to a cruel health bill motivated by a political vendetta and 
the hope of unlocking billions from campaign megadonors.
  It is time for Congress to get back to work on CHIP, a program that 
ensures nearly 9 million kids get access to care--375,000 of them in 
Florida. It has only become stronger since the passage of the 
Affordable Care Act.
  I hope my colleagues in the majority will waste no time in joining me 
in supporting this vital program. Let's help our children, let's 
reauthorize CHIP, and let's do it this week.

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