AFSCME, together with a number of groups around the country, including U.S. Action and Americans United for Change, formed the Emergency Campaign for America's Priorities- or ECAP.
ECAP's goal is to offer a full-throated articulation of why it is critically important to begin reinvesting in our country after years of neglect.
Case in point, why does Bush feel the need to veto a bill that would insure millions of children across the country? Specifically, why does Bush, Cornyn, and every Republican member of the Texas Congressional delegation feel the need block 220,000 children from getting the insurance they need?
This week, ECAP and progressive groups all over the country are holding hundreds of events focusing on the need to override president bush's veto of the children's health insurance program (SCHIP). AFSCME, SEIU and Americans United for Change have launched a major paid advertising campaign and will flood Capitol Hill with hundreds of thousands of calls, emails and letters demanding that members of Congress do the right thing and vote to overide bush's veto of SCHIP. In Texas, that means going after Kay Granger.
The vote in the house next week is going to be close. In fact, we can specifically blame any of these Texas elected officials for being the one vote we needed to make the House veto proof. That's right, 17 Republicans voted against Texas children.
A recent poll commissioned by Americans United for Change, AFSCME and USAction on SCHIP pointed to some interesting observations. When people were told that Democrats want to spend more than Bush in order to cover more children, 63% agree with Democrats. But looking deeper, 3/5 independents agree; 1/3 Rs agree with Ds even when the statement is made in expressly partisan terms. The numbers go further showing 70% of women and 57% of men agreed with the Democratic position on CHIP funding.
The ad above will begin running next week in Rep. Kay Granger's district and hundreds of local field events will complement the TV ads. It is up to us to keep the pressure up and ensure they start representing us. It is time for Barton, Brady, Burgess, Carter, Conaway, Culberson, Gohmert, Granger, Hall, Hensarling, S. Johnson, Marchant, McCaul, Neugebauer, Paul, Sessions, Smith and Thornberry to stop blindly doing what the President says, and vote for Texas children.
For the past 10 years, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has provided low-cost health insurance to millions of children in Texas and across the nation, helping keep kids healthy while strengthening the economy. For every $1 Texas invests in CHIP, Texas receives $2.64 in matching funds from the federal government.
Yet, this morning the President vetoed legislation that would have reauthorized the program and expanded health coverage to nearly 4 million uninsured children.
"The President's veto means that the advances Texas plans for our state CHIP program are at risk," said Anne Dunkelberg, Associate Director of the Center for Public Policy Priorities. "Fortunately, it's not too late. Even though the President vetoed the bill, Congress can still pass legislation that will make our children and our country better off."
In the coming days, the bill will return to Congress for a vote to override the President's veto. CPPP urges you to speak out by visiting http://www.familiesusa.org/bushvskids. Here you can write a letter, sign a petition, and watch a video about the importance of the CHIP program.
Encourage the Texas members who didn't vote for the bill to change their minds and vote for Texas children (see below). After all, the majority of American voters across the political spectrum support an expansion of children's health coverage.
SENATE: Senator Hutchison--Yea Senator Cornyn--Nay
Today, President Bush vetoed a bill that would have added 4 million children to the Children's Health Insurance Program. The bipartisan legislation had 18 Republican Senators signed on and was only one vote away from being veto proof in the House (more on that later).
Another letter was sent directly to President Bush yesterday urging him to reconsider his veto. There isn't a link, but the copy of the letter is below.
The legislation passed by Congress last week represents a bipartisan consensus and is the solution to ensure states and the federal government meet our moral obligation to care for our youngest and most vulnerable Americans.
This bipartisan consensus bill provides states the opportunity to continue covering millions of currently insured children and allows states to address the growing number of uninsured children. The bill largely reflects the philosophy that state flexibility, as well as options and incentives for state performance, are preferable to mandates. Most importantly this bill represents a common-sense, bipartisan approach that will ensure that health coverage for millions of currently enrolled children is not jeopardized.
We are encouraged that Congress has prioritized children's health insurance coverage. We urge you to join the strong bipartisan consensus among Congress, governors, and the American public by signing this legislation into law.
This second letter was signed by:
Signing the letter were Govs. Janet Napolitano (AZ), Mike Beebe (AR), Bill Ritter (CO), Jodi Rell (CT), Ruth Ann Minner (DE), Rod Blagojevich (IL), Chet Culver (IA), Kathleen Sebelius (KS), Kathleen Blanco (LA), Martin O'Malley (MD), Deval Patrick (MA), Jennifer Granholm (MI), Brian Schweitzer (MT), John Lynch (NH), Jon Corzine (NJ), Bill Richardson (NM), Eliot Sptizer (NY), Mike Easley (NC), Ted Strickland (OH), Brad Henry (OK), Ed Rendell (PA), Ted Kulongoski (OR), Phil Bredesen (TN), Anibal Acevedo Vila (PR), Tim Kaine (VA), Jon Huntsman (UT), Chris Gregoire (WA), Joe Manchin (WV), Jim Doyle (WI).
Again, Perry's name is sadly missing.
CNN reports that a recent poll has 75% of Americans supporting Congress and the expansion of CHIP. Talk about out of touch.
Republican officials disappointed in every way. Bush vetoes a bipartisan bill. Perry says he disagrees with 43 Governors. John Cornyn voted against the SCHIP bill in the senate… twice. Worst of all, we were one vote away from making children a priority in the House. Since McCaul voted against the bill, I am going to go ahead and blame him.
Since Congressional officials like Mike McCaul and Junior Senator John Cornyn are up for re-election this cycle, there total lack of support is sad and confusing. Maybe it is time for them to sit in a room with the 4 million uninsured children and tell them why they don't need medical coverage. Maybe Rick Perry and the House and Senate leadership should tell Texans why families are not a priority for them but giving plush hand outs to donors are.
There are no excuses. There is no reason for this veto. There is no reason why our elected official sat on the sideline when we demanded leadership. There is no reason why they deserve our votes ever again.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, failed Texas kids by voting against funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program, a highly successful program that ensures children of working families have access to affordable health insurance. Despite overwhelming support for CHIP in the Senate, Cornyn sided with President Bush and partisan Republicans, opposing legislation that will provide more federal money for Texas and help increase CHIP enrollment. It's one more example of Republicans' failure to help Texas kids. Without health insurance, parents are forced to rely on emergency room visits, rather than doctor visits, to obtain care for their children. Cornyn had a chance to turn things around and ensure all Texas kids have the opportunity for a happy and healthy childhood, but he chose to play partisan politics. Let's send a clear message to Cornyn, Bush and the rest of the Republicans that we want affordable health insurance for our Texas kids.
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said he is investigating whether the athletic departments steered students to lenders in exchange for kickbacks, as well as how team names, mascots and colors may have been used to suggest the company was a school's preferred lender.
At [the University of Houston], the athletic department's Web site features a prominent advertisement for University Financial Services.
With a red and blue border, the ad encourages "Cougars" to consolidate their student loans at a lower monthly payment. The lender identifies itself as "a proud paying sponsor of University of Houston Athletics."
The student loan industry has grown substantially over the past few years, in large part because the skyrocketing cost of tuition. Incidentally, since 2003 when the GOP legislative leadership passed tuition deregulation, the cost of tuition and fees at state-supported universities in Texas has shot up 39%.
The New York Times reports on a "fast spreading, Velco-like aquatic fern" that, in 1950's horror-movie fashion, seems to be taking over Caddo Lake. Any East Texans have any first hand experience they'd like to share in the comments?
The House of Representative passed a reauthorization and expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) yesterday, which since 1997 has provided affordable health insurance for millions of children whose parents can't afford to buy insurance on their own yet make too much money to qualify for Medicaid. Vince at Capitol Annex is all over the House floor debate from yesterday, including some unfortunately predictable shenanigans from Texas Republicans.
Starting this fall, the pledge to the Texas flag will have a little more God in it, thanks to a bill Rep. Debbie "Pit of Hell" Riddle authored and passed this session. This was little reported, but Rep. Scott Hochberg and she had a pretty good exchange during debate on the legislation:
HOCHBERG: Tell me why you picked out, you said last night that you were trying to essentially conform our pledge to the national pledge, and if I'm misstating what you said, please clarify that for me.
RIDDLE: No, that, I think, is what I made very clear, that in our national pledge, we say, "one nation under God." I felt like it was altogether right and appropriate for us to have in our state pledge, that we would say, "one state under God."
HOCHBERG: We also, in the national pledge, if I'm not mistaken, say, "with liberty and justice for all." You didn't include that in your bill, I don't believe. Was there some reason that you didn't include that, but you did include the "under God" part?
RIDDLE: No.
HOCHBERG: No? Would you take a third reading amendment to add, "with liberty and justice for all?"
RIDDLE: No.
The whole exchange (which you can read here) was pretty funny; Riddle seemed stunned by the question, and ended up saying she wanted to mirror the national pledge without explaining why she didn't want "liberty and justice for all." Apparently "liberty and justice for all" doesn't deserve repeating in Texas, but "under God" does. Go figure.
