Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the SCHIP program and to urge all of my colleagues to vote to override the President’s veto of this bill. 

While the number of uninsured adults has steadily climbed over the past ten years, the number of uninsured children in our nation has declined by nearly a third.  This is a direct result of the SCHIP program, which began in 1997 with the goal of providing health insurance for children whose parents cannot afford private health insurance coverage. 

I was proud to be part of a Congress that was able to craft a responsible and critical reauthorization of SCHIP program, one that would ensure that all eligible children can participate.  However, while Democrats and Republicans here in Congress were able to put politics aside for the sake of this critical program, the President chose not to do so.  His veto means that thousands of children in Rhode Island and millions more across the country will be denied access to health insurance. 

I urge my colleagues to vote to override the President's veto, and show our support for a program that has been tremendously successful in supporting working families, strengthening our health care system and keeping our children healthy.