CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2007--VETO MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (H. DOC. NO. 110-62) -- (House of Representatives - October 03, 2007)
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. CLYBURN. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding at this time.
Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the 112,000 uninsured children in my home State of South Carolina and the millions of other uninsured children across the country. Many of the uninsured children in my home State come from lower-income and working families, most of whom devote nearly all of their earnings to providing their children the basic necessities, such as shelter, food and clothing. Without CHIP, most of these families would not be able to provide their children with the health care they deserve.
Madam Speaker, in vetoing this bill, President Bush has shown the American people that his priorities are not with our Nation's uninsured; his priorities are not with the millions of families struggling to make ends meet. This President will have you believe that it is more important to reach out to America's millionaires and billionaires because, according to the President, they are the ones who are being left behind, not our children, not our uninsured, and not our hardworking families.
Madam Speaker, by opposing this legislation, the President is rebuking an overwhelming majority of Americans. CHIP has broad bipartisan support in the Senate and House, and 43 Governors and 300 advocacy groups have endorsed this legislation.
Support for this bill is high because it seeks to do what is right. It is right to insure children from poor and low-income families. It is right to extend coverage to 2.4 million minority children.
So I encourage my colleagues to do what is right and support this legislation. In doing what is right, you will be standing up for the uninsured. In doing what is right, you will be standing up for millions of hardworking American families. In doing what is right, you will be putting the needs of our children first.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT