 "Government has a wide range of responsibilities to the public; but
nothing is more important than the responsibility to protect the
young and most vulnerable members of our society. And nothing is
more vital to protecting children than making sure they have access
to the health care they need, when they need it. By vetoing the bill
that reauthorizes SCHIP, President Bush today turned his back on
millions of our nation's children. Despite Congress' overwhelming
bipartisan support for an expanded and flexible SCHIP, with a single
stroke of his pen President Bush has wiped out health care for
children whose families can't afford private coverage. I urge
Congress, and specifically the Illinois delegation, to override the
president's veto and make sure SCHIP continues to provide the
reliable and flexible federal support that states and the children
they serve have counted on for 10 years."Earlier this week, I
joined with seven other states in asking the courts to intervene on
behalf of our nation's children. We are prepared to take action and
ask the court to stop the Bush administration's attempt to further
limit health coverage for children through restrictive new
eligibility guidelines. I pledge to continue Illinois' leadership in
caring for our children and will push the federal government to
contribute their fair share."
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information] |
 |
