Congressman Bartlett, Get the Facts - Vote to Override Bush’s Veto

SCHIP: Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, Maryland Needs You

A Vote Against Children Should Not Stand

Annapolis, MD – Either Congressman Roscoe Bartlett doesn’t know the facts behind the SCHIP funding bill, or he’s chosen to adopt the misleading position of the Bush Administration. Either way, unfortunately, the position he has adopted will deny 42,000 Maryland children access to decent health care, yes 42,000! That’s more than the entire population of Annapolis. The Congressman from Western Maryland is simply wrong. Not only does his position undermine the health of so many of our young today, it may very well lead to catastrophic consequences in the years to come because of our inability to provide care when it mattered most.

For sure, Mr. Bartlett doesn’t have a factual explanation behind why he voted as he did, nor does he have an explanation for why so many of the leading members of his very own Party broke with Mr. Bush and voted in favor of SCHIP, House Bill 676.

“When our most vulnerable - our young - are forced to bear the burdens of partisan and class politics, we all lose. We’re calling on Congressman Bartlett to reject that posture and vote to override this veto,” said Michael E Cryor, Chair of the Maryland Democratic Party. “The decision to deny health care to children is not just wrong, it’s frightening.”  

In an appeal to Rep. Bartlett to reverse his indefensible position, Cryor said, “Congressman Bartlett, please think very seriously about the impact of your vote. The facts are available, please get them so that you fully understand why you must vote to override Bush’s veto and get thousands of needy children the health care they deserve.”

In a statement issued last week Rep. Bartlett proudly claimed he was right to vote against the SCHIP authorization because it would provide health care to children from a “family making $82,000 a year.” Unfortunately, his own proclamations document that he is operating with wrong information. The bill caps eligibility for a family of four at 3 times the federal poverty level or about $60,000. It also mandates that the lowest income children are first in line for benefits while specifically banning any expansion of eligibility.

“We would rather believe that the Congressman just took George Bush’s word for it,” says Cryor. “He didn’t examine the facts or understand the full implications of what it would mean for thousands of Maryland children. Mr. Bartlett is entitled to his opinion, but he is not entitled to his own facts. Therefore Mr. Bartlett, if you based your vote on Bush’s word, we strongly urge you to reconsider and vote to override his veto for the sake of thousands of Maryland children and families who desperately need health care.”

Mr. Bartlett would not be alone if he changed his position. Indeed, others in his own Party have come to understand why a veto is necessary. 18 GOP Senators and 45 GOP House members voted in favor of SCHIP. Many of them came under heavy fire from Congressional Republicans because of their support for the bipartisan measure.

Among them:

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, termed the criticism…of the bill "either totally wrong or intellectually dishonest."

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said 92 percent of the children covered under the bill live in families making less than 200 percent of federal poverty levels, or $41,300 for a family of four.  [Houston Chronicle, 10-6-2007]  

Across the state of Maryland, a growing chorus of supporters of SCHIP will be urging Congressman Bartlett to do the right thing for Maryland children. His veto would mean so much to so many.