Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009

Floor Speech

CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2009 -- (House of Representatives - February 04, 2009)

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Ms. PELOSI. This is a very happy day for me, for the Congress, and for the country, for all of America's children. I thank my colleagues for their extraordinary leadership in working on this very, very important legislation, which is strongly bipartisan, very carefully crafted, and again, a giant step forward for our children.

Almost 2 years ago, when we first talked about this legislation--we have been talking about it for years. Of course, it has been the law, and now we are expanding it. But when we first brought it into the previous Congress, on that day, it was late in the afternoon when I came to the floor, and while the sun was setting in the sky--coincidentally, I came at a time when

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it was, in poetry, described as the ``children's hour.''

I quoted then Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem: Between the dark and the daylight, when the night is beginning to lower, comes a pause in the day's occupation that is known as the Children's Hour.

Today, the children's hour has come to pass. With the bipartisan vote of this House, and the signature of the new President of the United States, we will provide health care to 11 million children in America.

We owe a great deal of thanks to our chairman, Mr. Waxman, to the chairman emeritus, Mr. Dingell, and Chairman Frank Pallone, of the Energy and Commerce Committee; Chairman Rangel and Pete Stark of the Ways and Means Committee. So many women on the committees have worked for this. Congresswomen Schakowsky, Baldwin, DeGette, Eshoo, and many others. This has been a product of many women focusing on this important issue that involves our children.

But our success really springs also from the outside mobilization that went with this. A compilation of more than 300 organizations--everyone from AARP to YMCA, March of Dimes, Easter Seals, and every organization in between--supported providing quality, affordable health care to America's children.

More than 80 percent of Americans support our bipartisan children's health insurance bill because they understand that with 2.6 million jobs lost last year, now even more children do not have health insurance. For every 1 percent increase in unemployment--for every 1 percent increase in unemployment--it is estimated as many as 1.5 million Americans will lose their health care coverage.

The American people know that preventive care is more cost effective than relying on our Nation's emergency rooms. That phrase was used in the debate over the past 2 years. Everyone in America has access to health care. All they have to do is go to the emergency room. What a ridiculous statement. What a disservice to the debate.

They know also that reducing smoking, which the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids says this legislation will do, means healthier children leading longer lives.

The bipartisan, fully paid for children's health insurance bill represents the new direction that Democrats have fought for that now, today, we join with our Republican colleagues to bring to the floor. This is the beginning of the change that the American people voted for in the last election and that we will achieve with President Barack Obama. We look forward to this afternoon when the President of the United States will sign this legislation.

I see some of our new Members of Congress on the floor. I see Congresswoman Betsy Markey and Congresswoman Dahlkemper on the floor. I don't know if others are here. But they have taken a major interest. Tom Perriello of Virginia has taken a major interest in this legislation too. I commend them because their coming to Congress has already, only a few short weeks in the Congress, has already made a difference in the lives of the American people.

It's a very happy day for me because, as you know, each time I have been sworn in as Speaker, I have gaveled this House to order in honor and on behalf of all of America's children. Right now, we are observing a children's hour that signifies that we are a Congress for those children.

I urge all of my colleagues to support our effort to pass this with a tremendous, tremendous margin, and then also to celebrate the signing of the legislation this afternoon.

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