Boozman: Now is Time for Improved SCHIP Bill

Press Release

Calls for override attempt so Congress can move on to craft new legislation

U.S. Representative John Boozman (R-AR) today called on House leadership to move forward with a vote to override President Bush's veto of a wide expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program so that Congress can move forward on crafting legislation which would have a better opportunity of becoming law.

"When we last voted on expanding the government's involvement in our healthcare system through the SCHIP program, we all knew it would be vetoed," Boozman said. "We should now have a vote to override, which we all know will fail, so Congress can move forward and put together a truly bipartisan bill which provides health insurance for the nation's poorest children in a fiscally responsible way and ensures illegal immigrants will not receive benefits meant for Americans."

It was announced Tuesday that House leaders will put off, possibly for weeks, a vote to override the President's veto. This decision could cause an indefinite delay in substantive discussions of alternatives that would reauthorize the SCHIP program in responsible fashion.

"We need to move on and put together a bill which can expand the program in a responsible way and do so before the program expires in November," Boozman said. "Any delay puts this program at risk, and I urge House leaders to not put off the opportunity to move forward and put together a plan which focuses on the original intent of the program: to cover low-income children first."

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