Political Quotes

“Madam President, I rise to express my support and to highlight the importance of reauthorizing the Children's Health Insurance Program, CHIP. CHIP expired in September, causing great concern and worry for families and providers who depend on this program to care for our Nation's neediest children. Many States have been operating on reserve funds, which will soon run out. It is time we provide the program with the necessary funding to take care of America's children. I know Arkansas families who rely on the program to provide medical care for their children are pleased with the inclusion of a 6-year reauthorization for CHIP, including in the legislation before this Chamber. This would mark the longest extension for the program since its inception. I thank Chairman Hatch, the original author of CHIP, for his dedication to the health of our Nation's children, and his bipartisan effort with Ranking Member Wyden that brought a 5-year CHIP reauthorization out of the Senate Finance Committee last fall. Approximately, 50,000 children in Arkansas--and nearly 9 million low- income children nationwide--receive healthcare through CHIP. Currently, these children, their families, and providers are living in a cloud of anxious uncertainty. Take for instance this story of a young Arkansan: In Little Rock, a precious little girl marks the milestone of turning 8 months old tomorrow in the care of Arkansas Children's Hospital fighting an infection.…”