SCHIP Veto

Floor Speech

SCHIP VETO

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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I wish to commend the Senator from Rhode Island for voicing his concerns about the veto of the children's health bill that is so important to so many children, and I appreciate his strong statement.

I think yesterday was a sad day for all Americans. For reasons I can't comprehend, President Bush yesterday decided to veto our bipartisan effort to invest in health care for the Nation's children. With no fanfare, behind closed doors, when no one was looking, the President put his personal politics ahead of increased investment in our most precious asset, our children.

I was so proud last week when, with bipartisan support in good margins in both Houses of Congress, we passed the Children's Health Insurance Program. That bill is an example of how Government ought to work.

Leaders in the House and in the Senate, both Republicans and Democrats, worked together to find a compromise that could work for everyone at the table. Nobody got everything they wanted, but the final product was worthy of support and pride on all sides.

I had hoped that after seeing the tremendous work that went into this compromise the President would think of the kids in every State of the Union who needed basic health care and reconsider his position.

I had hoped he would think about the families who are struggling to make ends meet and reconsider his position.

I had hoped that in the end he would reconsider his plan to say no to our children and to our families. But yesterday those hopes were dashed.

All children should be able to see a doctor when they are sick, and all children should be able to get the medicine they need to make them better. When a child gets a cut that requires stitches or comes down with a fever or an earache or with any other imaginable problem, they ought to be able to get help, period.

Unfortunately, as we all know, today in America--the richest and most successful country ever--that is not the case. In fact, millions of American children do not have health insurance, which means millions of American kids cannot see a doctor when they are sick, and millions of American children don't get the medicine they need to help them get better.

It doesn't matter if you are a Republican or a Democrat, whether you are a progressive or conservative, I believe making sure our children get health care is the moral thing to do.

This veto that the President penned yesterday has real and serious impact on many families in my State and across the country. Because President Bush vetoed that bill, 3.8 million uninsured children are going to continue to live without coverage. Let me say that again. President Bush told 3.8 million children in America they cannot have health care. To me, that is just shameful.

When I came to the floor a couple of weeks ago to talk about this important bill, I told the story of a woman in my State, Sydney DeBord, who lives in Yakima, WA. She is a young girl who has cystic fibrosis. Her mom wrote to me to tell me how important this children's health insurance program was to her family. She said it allowed her daughter, Sydney, to get and extend her life, and it allowed her to live her very tough life to the fullest. I want to quote again from that letter because I believe she speaks for those more than 3 million children and their families on this dark day.

Ms. DeBord said:

I know for a fact that without this bit of assistance her life would end much sooner due to the inability to afford quality health care for her. As her parent, it frightens me to even think some day she may be without health care coverage if programs like CHIP are no longer available.

Today, I share Ms. DeBord's fears, and all other parents do as well.

We have another chance. The President doesn't have the final say on this one. Right now, Members of the House of Representatives are working to find the votes to override this veto, perhaps, and hopefully end the fears of Ms. DeBord and millions of moms just like her. They need a few more votes. If they get a few more votes, we can tell the President that investing in families and investing in America is a priority of the men and women of this Congress no matter how many vetoes he sends our way.

It is very troubling to me that the President continues to ignore the wishes of the American public. The American people and the vast majority of Congress want to expand stem cell research to find cures for diseases affecting so many in our Nation. The President says no.

The American people and the vast majority of Congress want to change course in Iraq and bring our troops home safely. The President says no.

The American people and the vast majority of Congress want investment in roads, bridges, medical research, and education. The President says no.

The American people and the vast majority of Congress want to provide health care for our young children today. The President says no.

So we need a few more Republicans to join us and to join the American people in telling the President he is wrong and he cannot stand in the way of progress for our young kids. I hope the disappointment felt by kids and their families today is going to be washed away in the weeks to come by another bipartisan show of support for this outstanding and critical health care program in America.

Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

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