[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 20563]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to discuss 
the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP.
  As we all know, the authorization for CHIP expired at the end of 
September. Since that time, States have been utilizing their reserve 
funds in order to cover the healthcare needs of kids. For a number of 
States, those funds are due to run out in the near future.
  There have been a number of claims from our friends on the other side 
and some of their allies in the media that Republicans have ignored the 
CHIP program; that we don't intend to reauthorize it; or that we 
supposedly placed a higher priority on tax cuts for the rich than on 
providing health insurance for needy children. Those claims are 
absolutely ridiculous, and they know it. It gets a little old 
sometimes--some of the stupid politics that are being played by the 
other side.
  I come at this issue from two angles. I am both the original author 
of CHIP, and I currently chair the committee with jurisdiction over the 
program. Nobody should doubt my commitment to continuing the CHIP 
program. For two decades now, I have been a supporter of CHIP, and I 
worked with Members of both parties to keep it moving forward and 
functioning properly--even in times when my Democratic colleagues have 
pursued a more divisive approach with the program. That commitment 
continues to this day.
  On October 4, the Senate Finance Committee unanimously reported a 
bipartisan bill that would reauthorize CHIP for 5 years. In my view, a 
long-term reauthorization is essential so that States, including my 
home State of Utah, can plan well into the future and the families who 
benefit from CHIP can be sure that coverage for their needy children 
won't just disappear.
  It appears that the year-end continuing resolution could include a 
short-term reauthorization for CHIP. That is far from ideal, and as the 
leading advocate for this program, I have no desire to see it become 
subject to repeated short-term fixes and constantly looming deadlines.
  I intend to continue working with Senator Wyden and my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle in both the Senate and the House to enact the 
KIDS Act in a fiscally responsible manner as soon as possible. Doing so 
is essential to providing certainty for families and States.

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