CAMPAIGN TO SAVE CHILDREN’S HEALTHCARE
www.americansunitedforchange.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Donald McFarland 651-308-8098
DATE: January 22, 2008
As Economic Recession Looms, Minnesota Community Leaders Tell Reps. Michele Bachmann and John Kline: “Now is not the time to stand in the way of healthcare for 30,000 MN kids in need”
Vote Set for January 23rd in U.S. House to Override President’s Shameful Veto of Bipartisan Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act – Will Reps. Bachmann and Kline Again Stand With Bush Over Struggling MN Families?
St. Paul, MN – On the heels of grim forecasts from several leading economists including former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan of an economic recession in 2008, MN Community Leaders gathered today in St. Paul to implore U.S. Reps. Bachmann and Kline to stand up for struggling MN families that will be hit hardest by the ailing economy by voting on January 23rd to override President Bush’s veto of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act – overwhelmingly supported, bipartisan legislation that would mean healthcare for 4 million more American kids in need, including 30,000 more kids in MN.
On October 25th, the U.S. House passed the latest version the bipartisan Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, which was revised in response to the President’s first veto of the bill and included strengthened language to address any and all concerns about illegal immigrants, adults and children from high-income families benefiting from the program. But even with these concerns effectively taken off the table, Reps. Bachmann and Kline still chose to once again stand with President Bush over the thousands of parents in their district that go to bed every night praying their children don’t get sick or hurt. Though the legislation to reauthorize and expand SCHIP has passed the U.S. House and Senate for the second time with wide bipartisan majorities, the House remains just a few votes shy of overriding the President when it comes back to the floor on January 23rd – and all eyes are on Reps. Bachmann and Kline.
“Bush’s veto couldn’t come at a worse time with a recession looming and millions of families soon facing extraordinarily difficult economic choices,” said State Representative and Finance Committee member Carlos Mariani. “We strongly urge Reps. Bachmann and Kline to get their priorities straight and stand up for their most vulnerable constituents – sick kids. Sadly, throughout the children’s healthcare debate, Reps. Bachmann and Kline maintained that a family of four making a whopping 3 times the poverty level should easily be able to afford a private insurance plan. There is no better example of how out of touch President Bush and his allies in Congress have gotten with the every day struggles of working families in this country.”
“We’re not talking about adults and children from high-income families. We’re talking about kids whose parents work hard but can’t afford private insurance and are not disadvantaged enough to qualify for Medicaid. We’re talking working moms that have to ask themselves every time their child gets sick or hurt: “Is it bad enough to see a doctor,” continued Mariani. These are regular MN families that may soon have to choose between putting food on the table and paying the bills – forget paying for an expensive private insurance plan. We challenge Reps. Bachmann and Kline to come home and hold town halls throughout the districts and hear directly from constituents how they are living at three times the poverty level.”
“It’s question of priorities, and Reps. Bachmann and Kline have theirs all mixed up. They have no problem voting again and again to give President Bush a blank check to police an endless civil in Iraq, yet at the time, they adamantly oppose spending a fraction of that to provide healthcare to 30,000 more kids in Minnesota. The fact is, for what we spend in just one week in Iraq, 800,000 children could get health insurance for an entire year,” said Donald McFarland of Americans United for Change.
“Congresswoman Bachmann and Congressman Kline will have one last chance to do the right thing,” added McFarland. “We understand healthcare is not a concern for their families – they’ve got the best healthcare plan taxpayer money can buy. But before once again voting ‘no’ on January 23rd against healthcare for millions of sick kids, Reps. Bachmann and Kline should ask themselves one question: “What if it was my own kid’s healthcare at stake?”
Americans United for Change is a leading partner in the multi-million dollar Campaign to Save Children’s Healthcare, a coalition of groups including the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, SEIU, MoveOn Political Action, USAction, True Majority Action and many others working together to override the President’s veto of healthcare for 10 million kids in need. Americans United for Change has already aired over a dozen TV and radio ads holding Bush and his allies to account for standing in the way of children’s healthcare. You may view and listen to the ads here. |
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