Providing for Consideration of Senate Amendments to H.R. 976, Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF SENATE AMENDMENTS TO H.R. 976, CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - September 25, 2007)
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Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise with the same sadness that was manifested by the ranking member, Mr. Dreier of the Rules Committee, when he spoke about the fact that on an issue like this, if there is ever an issue where we should be able to come together and extend a program, it is this one.
But as we saw last night, with the long, thorough testimony before the Rules Committee, the excessively exclusivist process that has been engaged in by the majority really has affected, in a significant and unfortunate way, the product before us. And Mr. Barton pointed out, as has already been explained, that he was excluded from the process. And for example, on an issue, despite the fact that it's a major expansion of SCHIP, that we're facing a major expansion here of SCHIP on a very important issue which is the inclusion, for example, of legal immigrant children, they have not been included. For example, that's why we have the National Hispanic Medical Association saying we do not support this legislation, this SCHIP bill that does not include legal immigrant children.
You have the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda: ``We cannot support legislation that extends health coverage to some children while explicitly excluding legal immigrant children.''
The National Council of La Raza: ``We are particularly disheartened that a congressional debate focused on expanding access to health care to children would perpetuate an exclusion for legal immigrants.''
Now, one thing would be, Mr. Speaker, if due to limited resources we were simply extending this program, a program that we all agree is so necessary and important. But to see an expansion of the program that excludes legal, and I reiterate, legal immigrant children and pregnant women is most unfortunate. That's why I would include into the Record, Mr. Speaker, these letters.
My distinguished friend Mr. Pallone last night was saying, well, you know, some people in the Senate didn't want that; that's why we don't do it. Mr. Barton pointed out in Rules that he would have been happy to be there supporting this provision for legal, and I repeat, legal immigrant children. Perhaps that would have been the difference in being able to solve this problem.
Again, exclusivist process leads to an unfortunate result in policy. If there's ever been an example of that, we're seeing it this afternoon. So I oppose this rule, Mr. Speaker, and, at this stage, this unsatisfactory product that is being brought before us and that we should vote down today.
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