Hilda L. Solis: “I rise today in support of postponing consideration of the vote to override President Bush's veto of the SCHIP…”

“I rise today in support of postponing consideration of the vote to override President Bush's veto of the SCHIP Reauthorization Act. We have a momentous opportunity here. Yet today the President chose to deny health care to millions of poor and uninsured children. In the State of California, 50 percent of those children that are enrolled happen to be of Hispanic descent. What message is he giving to those children? While the bill may not be perfect, I think it's still a step forward in the right direction for our country and for the communities of color that it will serve and for our children, our very, very poorest children. In the coming weeks, I urge our colleagues to stand up for the health and well-being of our children of working families and to reject the President's misguided, immoral and fundamentally flawed veto. I join with my colleagues today in asking that we postpone, call a timeout, so that he can think about this and his party. We must do the right thing for our children, those who are the most vulnerable in our population.”