WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell released the following statement today on President Bush’s call to delay improvements to the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) before it expires on September 30^th .  Congress has already voted to cover 4 million more children who would otherwise be uninsured.  Cantwell worked to get a fair, bipartisan bill out of the Finance Committee that could pass on the floor and the Senate passed it by a veto-proof margin.  However, the president has continued to threaten to veto the plan.  Today, the President said he would not support implementation of the improved program but will only support a temporary extension of the program at current levels. Cantwell’s statement follows:

 

“President Bush’s stubborn insistence on temporarily extending CHIP at current funding levels, rather than letting the Congress do its job, means that almost a million children will lose health care coverage and an additional 3 million children will continue to be uninsured.  This is unacceptable--CHIP provides a crucial backstop to help families who can’t meet the cost of rising premiums.  It helps prevent the number of uninsured children from growing and gives our kids the right start in life.  I will continue to fight to renew and improve this program and I hope the president will put aside political grandstanding and sign it without delay, so America’s children can have a better tomorrow.”

 

 

 

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