Frank Pallone: “over 10 million American children are without health insurance, and Democrats have been aware of this growing problem…”

“over 10 million American children are without health insurance, and Democrats have been aware of this growing problem for some time. Unfortunately, the Republican leadership has been full of inaction. Since the beginning of the 105th Republican-controlled Congress, an additional 372,900 children have lost private health coverage, according to the Children's Defense Fund. Essentially this has been due to inaction by the Republican leadership. But at the same time, Republicans in the House Committee on Appropriations voted down an amendment last week that fully met the President's funding request for women, infant, and children, the WIC Program. This nutrition program has been cited as one of the most successful Federal programs, and I have to say that I have witnessed this firsthand. I have been in some of the places where people have signed up for the WIC Program. It has been responsible for reducing low birth weight, infant mortality and anemia, while improving the diets of mothers and children. The WIC Program has a proven track record in providing preventive health care benefits. According to the General Accounting Office, each dollar invested in the prenatal component of WIC averts $3.50 of Medicaid and other spending. Instead, the Republicans have voted to cut 180,000 participants of this program by this September.”