Jay Rockefeller: “You can't say that 10 percent of the people don't count.”

I thank Senator Leahy for attempting to address my concerns about this bill. I thank his committee staff for working with my committee staff to insert clarifying report language.

This is a good bill. It has helped. It has done even what the Affordable Care Act has not been able to do.

We simply cannot afford to take this major step backwards and jeopardize the future of generations by allowing CHIP to expire.

Without congressional action, I say again, CHIP will run out of funding next fall, placing at risk the well-being of hundreds of thousands of children and pregnant women.