Richardson Speaks Out On SCHIPS

Bill Richardson is joining with governors from several other states to take President Bush to court over the SCHIPS program. He is asking for the support of ordinary Americans like you and me. Please e-mail or call your congressman. Here is what Richardson has to say:

Last Tuesday, I joined 28 other Governors, from both parties, in signing a letter to President George W. Bush, urging him to sign the bill extending the popular children's health care program known as SCHIP.

SCHIP funds basic health care for over 6 million of America's children in all 50 states -- mostly children from poor families with little or no access to other health services.

Checkups for poor children sounds like a no-brainer, doesn't it? It's a proven fact that children with early access to immunizations and regular checkups do better throughout their lives. And in fact, 72% of Americans in a recent poll said they supported SCHIP.

But last week, President Bush got our letter ... and he threw it in the trash.

He vetoed the SCHIP reauthorization bill the very next day, and he tried to use his veto to make a political point. Congressional supporters are now trying to line up the votes for an override next Thursday.

This wasn't a surprise. The President has been openly hostile to children's health care. New SCHIP regulations that his Administration issued in August violate the intent of Congress, interfering with the states' existing SCHIP programs and limiting their expansion.

And now we're joining forces with New York, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Washington, Arizona, and New Hampshire -- and we're taking President Bush to court.

Here's what our President -- tone-deaf on health care, as on so many other issues -- had to say about health care back in July:

I mean, people have access to health care in America. After all, you just go to an emergency room.

Is he kidding? When was the last time that George W. Bush -- son of a President, grandson of a Senator -- tried to get basic health care in an emergency room?

Has he ever set foot in the kind of overtaxed, underfunded hospital that serves low-income neighborhoods in America's cities? Has he ever waited all day to see the traveling doctor who visits a rural community one afternoon a week? Sat in a crowded hospital triage room for four hours? Waited six weeks for an appointment at a public clinic?

Has George W. Bush ever been turned away for medical services -- for anything -- because he couldn't afford to pay?

It's easy for President Bush to play politics. But the lives of real children are at stake. Here in New Mexico, where I am Governor, the SCHIP-funded New Mexikids program brings immunizations, regular checkups, and other health services to 19,000 low-income children. We're poised to expand the program to cover 11,000 more.

Basic health services, like immunizations and regular checkups, are one of the most cost-effective ways of giving children a leg up in life. But our short-sighted President would rather turn his back on America's children.

We must not let this happen. Please join me today, help us win our lawsuit, and protect this critically important program from political interference.

Sincerely,
Governor Bill Richardson

P.S. You can email your Congressmember about SCHIP by clicking here. Help make sure that he or she knows how you feel!