Gonzalez Statement on Vote to Override President's SCHIP Veto

Statement

Gonzalez Statement on Vote to Override President's SCHIP Veto

This afternoon the House failed to reach a two-thirds majority on a vote to override the President's second veto of the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2007. The legislation would've increased funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program through 2012 to provide health insurance for approximately 10 million children, including close to half a million in the state of Texas. By offering assistance with premium payments for private healthcare, SCHIP covers children whose families who do not meet Medicaid requirements but still do not have enough income to afford health insurance.

"For the second time in four months, the President and his allies in Congress have squandered a historic opportunity to insure 10 million children whose families can't afford health insurance," said Congressman Charlie Gonzalez (TX-20). "Their second rejection of a broadly supported bipartisan bill highlights their misplaced priorities, and it is regrettable that this bill, which would've otherwise helped millions of families with the costs of their health insurance premiums, has been frustrated by political posturing and a desire to avoid raising a cigarette tax."

The children who would've received coverage from this legislation are currently eligible for benefits but lack healthcare coverage due to insufficient federal funding.

"In this weakening economy more and more parents are having difficulty paying for health insurance for their children, making funding for this program more critical than ever. On behalf of the millions of eligible children who still lack healthcare, I will continue to work on strengthening this critical program so that working families who can not afford coverage on their own finally receive the assistance they deserve," he added.

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