Capps Decries Republican Opposition to Children's Health Care

Press Release

Capps Decries Republican Opposition to Children's Health Care

Veto Override Falls Short as 154 House Republicans Stand with Bush Instead of Standing with America's Kids

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Congresswoman Lois Capps, a nurse and Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health, released the following statement today after the House fell short of overriding President Bush's misguided veto of bipartisan legislation that would have provided health insurance to 10 million children through the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The veto override was defeated by a vote of 273 to 156. The bill would have protected the health insurance of 6 million children currently enrolled in CHIP and extended health insurance to 4 million children who are currently eligible for coverage through the CHIP program but who do not receive coverage due to a lack of funding:

"This is a sad day for America's working families. Despite the overwhelming support of the American people for this bipartisan bill, a number of my Republican colleagues decided to stick with President Bush in his opposition to extending health care coverage for low income children.

"The Children's Health Insurance Program has been a great success and played a vital role in helping our children grow up safe, healthy and strong. It is tragic that the President and the House Republican Leadership have decided to use this program as a political punching bag. In the weeks leading up to the vote, opponents of the bipartisan compromise stooped to new lows in the effort to score cheap political points, attacking the very children and their families who dared to speak out about how the Children's Health Insurance Program helped them in times of great need. Republican opponents repeatedly misstated the facts about the bill, despite being rebutted by respected Members of their own party, in a desperate attempt to try and deflect from the fact that they are denying 10 million children access to health care coverage.

"Republican claims that the legislation is too expensive ring hollow. The truth is, for what we spend on the war in Iraq in 40 days, we could pay for a year of this life-saving health care for the 10 million children in the Children's Health Insurance Program. It's a sad day when a country as rich in resources as ours allows children to die from preventable maladies like tooth abscesses. I hope that in the coming weeks my colleagues will reassess their priorities, put aside petty political gamesmanship and put our children first."

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