How They Voted on SCHIP (Updated)

by: Juan Melli

Wed Aug 01, 2007 at 08:46:31 PM EDT

Said Menendez:

"We have kept thousands of New Jersey children and families from being dropped into the ocean of the uninsured. We knew there would be obstacles thrown in front of us during this debate, but we navigated them to reach our goal. Make no mistake, this is a major victory that protects the children of working and low-income families in our state...

This puts us in prime position to get strong legislation to the president's desk and to override a veto. President Bush will have to decide whether to ensure health coverage for children who badly need it or to follow through on his morally objectionable and stubborn veto threat despite more than two-thirds of the Senate supporting this version of the bill."

The House of Representatives just voted to renew and expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The program had previously provided health insurance for 6 million low and moderate income children. This legislation would increase funding to cover 11 million children. Currently, 100,000 children in New Jersey are eligible for, but not enrolled in SCHIP.

The legislation passed by a vote of 225-204 with only five Republicans supporting the measure. Two of those are New Jersey Representatives Frank LoBiondo and Mike Ferguson (the two being targeted by the DCCC). All of New Jersey's Democrats supported the effort to insure our children.

Congressman Rush Holt on the passage of the legislation:

"A measure of a nation's greatness is how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. By making health insurance available for 11 million children, we live up to our moral obligation to keep children healthy and we make our society stronger."

Bottom line: Rodney Frelinghuysen, Chris Smith, Scott Garrett, and Jim Saxton voted against providing health care for poor children in New Jersey, but they vote to send billions into Iraq every month without hesitation. Have any of them spent a day in their lives worrying about whether they have access to health care? Nobody that ever has could be so heartless.

YES Rob Andrews (D) Rush Holt (D) Frank Pallone (D) Bill Pascrell (D) Donald Payne (D) Steve Rothman (D) Albio Sires (D) Frank LoBiondo (R) Mike Ferguson (R)

NO Rodney Frelinghuysen (R) Jim Saxton (R) Scott Garrett (R) Chris Smith (R)