Opening Remarks by Rep. Diana Degette (D-CO) and Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-IL) on a Conference Call Subject: Upcoming Vote to Override President Bush's veto of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act

Statement

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REP. DEGETTE: Thank you so much. Let me just underscore a few things that you have said.

Times have changed since last October when the president vetoed the SCHIP compromise bill for the second time, and the thing that has changed is now our economy looks like it's heading into a recession. So not only will the 4 million American families additional, who would be eligible for SCHIP coverage, be without health insurance for their children, but also the economy will be without the stimulus that dumping that money on health care costs right now would give us.

I've been mystified from day one why the president would pick health care for the children of the working poor as the focus for two vetoes because this is a program that was passed in 1997. I was on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and that was passed on a bipartisan level. It was passed with Newt Gingrich as speaker of the House and Bill Clinton as president of the United States. And it was administered with great success by President Bush when he took office in January of 2001.

Every attempt at passing the SCHIP reauthorization has been a compromise. We've compromised on so many issues, but yet the president stubbornly refuses to listen to us. And frankly, this is one issue that the Congress should override the veto so that we can give this coverage to children.

This latest bill it does not cover undocumented workers or illegal aliens. It does not cover children of rich families. This covers the children of the working poor who cannot -- who are eligible right now under the current SCHIP program but for whom we have not funded that program. And that's why I'm hoping Congress will override the veto.

In my home state of Colorado, Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave of the 4th Congressional District has said she supports SCHIP. She tried to work on some -- the legislation, and so she is one of the Republicans who we believe should look long and hard at this compromise bill and vote to override the veto.

With that, I apologize. I need to go to another event, and so I'm going to leave you in extremely capable hands of my colleague, Janice Schakowsky from the Energy and Commerce Committee and a fellow chief deputy whip with me.

So thank you so much for your efforts. I really appreciate it.

And Jan, take it away.

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