On the recordJanuary 21, 2018
I have heard my colleagues talk about CHIP and take credit for CHIP and it is so great what they did. Of course, I am glad they now are actually for it, but I have worked on CHIP for a long time, for more than a decade. I am on the Finance Committee--I think the only one in this room right now who is on the committee that worked on this. We have been asking--CHIP expired September 30. Early September, we asked Chairman Hatch to move on CHIP. October, November, December, in the middle of the tax bill, we asked Chairman Hatch to move on CHIP. Finally, he did. It was a bipartisan vote. I will give both parties credit. The other Senator from Ohio, Mr. Portman, voted for it. Only Senator Toomey opposed it in the whole committee, but then it sat there. It hasn't had a floor vote. So it expired September 30. We went October, didn't do anything; November, didn't do anything; December, didn't do anything. Now, January 21, more than a year after President Trump was inaugurated, they seem to want to do something on CHIP. I appreciate that they do. Don't get me wrong. I care so much about this.
