On the recordJanuary 18, 2018
I would just remind the prior speaker that, in fact, the President issued a Statement of Administration Policy in support of this bill, which keeps the government open. But I also rise in support of this bill and in strong support of a 6- year, long-term funding for CHIP. We all came to Congress to fight for our district, and particularly our kids. The Michigan CHIP serves nearly 40,000 kids, and if CHIP isn't reauthorized long term, it is going to be disastrous for our communities, which is why they are depending on us, which is why it is in this bill. Mr. Speaker, back in 2015, I helped broker the bipartisan, bicameral deal that led us to the last reauthorization of CHIP. It wasn't easy, but we got there by working together. Over the course of the past year, we have been steadfast in our resolve to reauthorize CHIP. In our committee, we worked tirelessly to advance commonsense legislation that is going to extend CHIP, as well as community health centers. Last November, we passed the comprehensive bill on the House floor. Later in the year, we passed a CR that included short-term funding for CHIP. Mr. Speaker, this bill does that. I would urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
