Zachary T. Space: “I rise in support of the SCHIP bill that we will, again, today, be passing with bipartisan support. This is a bill which…”

“I rise in support of the SCHIP bill that we will, again, today, be passing with bipartisan support. This is a bill which is not intended to be a handout. This is not a form of welfare. This is legislation that will provide assistance to working families, specifically 10 million children of working families who have had a very difficult time in today's economy, a difficult time with high gas prices, high prices of natural gas, electricity, struggling to make ends meet. In Ohio we lead the Nation in foreclosures or are near the top. We're near the top in bankruptcy. In Ohio's 18th district there's an air of desperation, given the loss of manufacturing jobs. The working families of this country need help. And this is a chance to give it to them. To call this a magnet for illegal immigration, to classify this legislation as Washington, D.C.-based health care is a gross misstatement of the facts, and nothing more than a red herring. The truth is this legislation will enhance the lives, the quality of lives of 10 million young Americans. We have an obligation as a government to do that. I thank those Republicans with the courage to vote to override the almost certain looming dark cloud of a Presidential veto and urge those with the foresight and courage to do so again as we proceed on this important legislation.”