Boehner: “Let’s Make Sure that We Put Low-Income Children First”
House GOP Leader Calls for Bipartisan SCHIP Bill that Insures Low-Income Children First
Washington,
Oct 18, 2007 -
House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) spoke today on the House floor in support of a renewal of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) that places low-income children first. A measure crafted by congressional Democrats – and vetoed by President Bush – would continue covering more than 700,000 adults currently insured by the children’s health care program, even though some 500,000 eligible low-income children are still not covered by SCHIP. Boehner’s floor remarks preceded a vote in which the House sustained President Bush’s veto. The video and text of Boehner’s remarks are below:
Click HERE to view video.
“Madame Speaker and my colleagues, I’m disappointed that we’ve reached this point. I think all of us know that Democrats want to renew the SCHIP program; Republicans want to renew the SCHIP program. We haven’t been afforded the opportunity to sit down and work together to resolve the differences we might have in order to keep this important program alive and available to children in America who deserve and need good health care coverage. And I hope that the opportunity to sit down and work together comes today after this vote.
“In 1997, Republicans and Democrats worked together to create the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. We worked to ensure that low-income children without health insurance come first. But I think all of us know that’s not what’s happened. Today, there are 500,000 eligible low-income children for this program who are not covered, yet there are some 700,000 adults around America who are covered under the children’s health insurance program. I think the numbers speak for themselves: in Minnesota, 87 percent of the people on the Children’s Health Insurance Program are adults. In Wisconsin, 66 percent of the people on the Children’s Health Insurance Program are adults.
“And what we’ve been working towards is trying to find a way to say that we ought to insure poor children first. I know states have all kinds of ideas about how to expand this program, but let’s not let this become another Washington program that starts with one principle in mind and then becomes something for everyone. Why can’t we refocus the program to ensure that we help those poor children who do not have health insurance before we get into insuring adults and people beyond the low-income folks that we’re trying to help?
“I think the President vetoed this bill because, frankly, I think the majority sent it to him to ensure it was vetoed. There were no conversations in this House between Democrats and Republicans on what this bill would ever look like. I don’t think there was ever any intention that this bill was sent to the White House to be signed into law.
“And it’s a point that I’ve made here before, and I’m going to make it again: the American people are tired of all the political games. They want us to find some way to work together to resolve our differences and to help move America forward. And what we’ve seen over the last several months on this bill, and especially the last two weeks, is an example of the political games that the American people are tired of. When you begin to look at Congress’ approval ratings, it shouldn’t come to anyone’s surprise in this chamber that they’re very low. And why they are low is because I think Americans are tired of the rhetoric, they’re tired of the political games, and they want us to find some way to work together to address their needs and their concerns.
“Two weeks ago when the President vetoed this bill because it didn’t put poor children first, we could have had this vote right then and there. We could have had the override vote, and then we could have sat down and begun to resolve our differences. By now we could have had them resolved, and we could be here on a new bill to make sure that the poor children who don’t have health insurance actually get it.
“And so what I’d say to all of my colleagues is that I would hope that the political games will come to an end. And on behalf of House Republicans, I again extend this invitation to all of you: let’s sit down and work together in a bipartisan manner to resolve our differences. And secondly, let’s make sure that we put poor children first.”
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