[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15880]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       REAUTHORIZING CHIP FUNDING

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, in New Jersey, nearly 231,000 children rely 
on the Children's Health Insurance Program. CHIP gets them to the 
doctor. CHIP gets them to the hospital. CHIP saves their lives.
  But last month, Republican Members of Congress made a choice to put 
on another repeal-and-replace dog and pony show and let CHIP expire.
  Mr. Speaker, what do my Republican colleagues have against needy 
children? Who thought it would be a good idea to put 9 million 
children's health at risk for political gains? So much for 
compassionate conservatism.
  Mr. Speaker, CHIP is vital to the Nation's future. Along with 
Medicaid, CHIP has cut the rate of low-income, uninsured children 
nationally by half--from 14 percent to 7 percent. But if Congress 
doesn't immediately reauthorize long-term CHIP funding, children will 
not get to see their doctors. They won't have access to hospitals, and 
some may die

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