Spending For Children's Health Care Versus Spending in Iraq -- A Question of Priorities

Floor Speech

SPENDING FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE VERSUS SPENDING IN IRAQ--A QUESTION OF PRIORITIES -- (House of Representatives - October 17, 2007)

(Mr. COHEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, President Bush and congressional Republicans have no problem writing blank checks for the war in Iraq, but ask them to prioritize the health care needs for 10 million low-income children, and they can't be bothered. Every month, every month we are spending $9 billion in Iraq that is borrowed from our children, because the President has always demanded that funding for the Iraq war be classified as emergency spending and, therefore, not subject to the pay-as-you-go rules.

Three-and-a-half months of Iraq war funding equals the funding needed to extend health care coverage to 10 million children over the next 5 years. Unlike the war, our children's health is fully paid for with absolutely no deficit spending; yet President Bush vetoed this bipartisan compromise because he said it included excessive spending.

Mr. Speaker, House Republicans need to show the President that there are other priorities in our Nation besides the never-ending war in Iraq. They should send that message by joining us tomorrow in overriding the President's veto and caring about our Nation's children.

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