Yesterday, President Bush vetoed health care for 10 million children for the second time. On the veto, Speaker Pelosi stated, "Let it be clear that Democrats will not rest until 10 million children in America have access to health care, and that it is paid for. Let it be clear that we will persist with this effort. We will try to continue the negotiations with our Republican colleagues, but we will try to introduce legislation immediately that will cover the shortfall between now and the end of the fiscal year, September 30, and at the same time we will be working for the bigger bill. We want to protect the health care of the children who are on SCHIP now, and we're working to expand that to the 10 million children."
Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats on the President's second veto:
| Speaker Pelosi: "For 40 days in Iraq we can insure 10 million children in America. 40 days in Iraq, 10 million children. This is not an issue, this is a value. This is an ethic of the American people. Democrats and Republicans, people of no party affiliation, everybody cares about the children of America. Over 80% of the American people support the SCHIP expansion that we want to do, to double the number of children." |
| Rep. Frank Pallone: "The President's second veto of CHIP legislation is a slap in the face not only to this Congress but to the millions of children who without this bill will continue to be uninsured or worse, basically lose the insurance they currently have. Every day the parents of more than nine million children worry about how their kids have an earache, strep throat, tooth ache, asthma, all this before they finally have to take them to the hospital emergency room." |
| Rep. Xavier Becerra: "Let's remember why we are here. Two weeks, less than two weeks, before Christmas and we are talking about whether or not 10 million children, the children of hard-working American families, where we know that the cost of health care is increased, we are talking about whether or not 10 million children two weeks before Christmas will have access to health care." |
| Rep. Lloyd Doggett: "This President's holiday season's veto of our efforts to aid these ailing children is neither sound fiscal policy nor good medicine. And for the President to make the incredible statement that the children of the working poor should just go to the emergency room, that's neither compassionate nor conservative. With his ideological blinders, he just doesn't seem to see the children of the working poor who are up all night with an aching ear, an abscessed tooth or can't get antibiotics for strep throat." |
| Rep. David Scott: "This issue boils down to a practicality of ideology. The Republicans and the Bush Administration has repeatedly shown that they really quite honestly do not get it when it comes down to health care - and particularly for those who need the health care the most." |
Yesterday, President Bush vetoed health care for 10 million children for the second time. On the veto, Speaker Pelosi stated, "Let it be clear that Democrats will not rest until 10 million children in America have access to health care, and that it is paid for. Let it be clear that we will persist with this effort. We will try to continue the negotiations with our Republican colleagues, but we will try to introduce legislation immediately that will cover the shortfall between now and the end of the fiscal year, September 30, and at the same time we will be working for the bigger bill. We want to protect the health care of the children who are on SCHIP now, and we're working to expand that to the 10 million children."