Congressman Elijah E. Cummings Proudly Representing Maryland's 7th District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 3, 2007

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Jennifer Kohl
202.225.4741 or 202.225.4025   
Trudy Perkins
410.685.9199 or 202.225.4641

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) released the following statement on President Bush’s veto of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP):

“Access to quality health care is not a privilege—it is a right. Today, President Bush took away that right from millions of our nation’s children. Although I am deeply disappointed in the President, I am not surprised. It is simply unconscionable that he requested another $190 billion from Congress to spend in Iraq and then turned around to strip away the health care coverage of millions of our children.

“It is a very sad time when the President of our country—elected to represent the interests of everyday people—chooses his own interests instead, vetoing legislation to reauthorize a successful program with broad bipartisan support. I expect more of the President’s misleading rhetoric in an attempt to excuse this unjustifiable move. While I am confident that the majority of Americans will not fall for his charade, such confidence sadly offers no solace to the millions of children who will no longer be able to see their doctors and receive the health care they deserve.

“I agree strongly with Republican Senator Charles Grassley when he said this is not the time for the President to be playing ‘catch-up’ on failing to veto spending bills in the past six years. I will work hard with Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic leadership to convince my colleagues in the House to override the President’s veto on our children’s well-being, and I ask the public to join us in urging their representatives to join us in this fight.”

# # # #