Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz released the following statement in response to the President’s veto today of bipartisan legislation extending the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

“With his veto, President Bush turned his back on 10 million American children and their working parents.

“The list of CHIP supporters is long. A strong majority in both the House and the Senate, the nation’s governors, the business community, healthcare providers, children’s advocates, the insurance industry, labor unions, and religious leaders all support this affordable, common sense plan.

“For the past decade, CHIP – a public/private partnership – has enabled millions of American children of working and middle class families to afford quality private health coverage.

“The bill on the President’s desk today would have continued this effort, and in doing so extended health coverage to 10 million kids.

“The President’s veto is short-sighted, callous, and wrong.”  

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