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U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) released the following statement on House Republicans’ legislation to reauthorize the Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Community Health Centers (CHC) by slashing billions from Medicare and the Affordable Care Act. Video of Dingell’s floor speech is available here.

“The legislation we considered today represents a choice that we should not have to make. When it comes to fighting for children and families, I will take a backseat to no one – it is the reason I ran for office. We live in the United States of America, the greatest nation in the world, and I reject the notion that we have to rob Peter to pay Paul – or in this instance jeopardize the future of Medicare and steal $6 billion from critical prevention programs seniors, children and families rely upon to pay for the Children’s Health Insurance Program. CHIP has always been bipartisan, and there is no reason that cannot be true today. We have a responsibility to provide care for all Americans – young, old, sick, healthy, rich and poor. We should not be providing health care for some at the expense of others.

“The time for political games is over. CHIP is a lifeline for nearly 9 million American children, ensuring that every child can go to the doctor when they need to and have necessary checkups, immunizations and medical treatment. The program has already expired for more than a month, and the 100,000 children in Michigan who benefit from it now have their coverage in jeopardy because we are here playing games. Enough is enough. This is not an academic debate – this is about people’s lives. CHIP has always been strongly bipartisan, and we should be working together on consensus legislation that provides children and their families with certainty that they will have the care they need when their child gets sick; not this misguided proposal that puts our children, families and seniors at risk.”