{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/peters-floor-remarks-on-need-to-reauthorize-childrens-health-insurance-program", "Peters Floor Remarks on Need to Reauthorize Children's Health Insurance Program", "2017-12-14", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "MI", "Gary Peters", "P000595", "www.peters.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.14.17\n\t\t\t Peters Floor Remarks on Need to Reauthorize Children's Health Insurance Program \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t Peters: \u201cIt would be unconscionable to rip health care services away from children during the most formative years of their life.\u201d\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t WASHINGTON, D.C.\u00a0\u2013 U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) spoke on the Senate floor on the need to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The CHIP program provides health care coverage to over 100,000 children in Michigan and more than 9 million children nationally. Below is video and text of his remarks as prepared for delivery:\r\nWatch the full video\r\n\u201cOver two months ago I stood here in this chamber urging my colleagues to pass legislation that will prevent kids enrolled in the Children\u2019s Health Insurance program from losing their health care.\r\n\u201cThe Children\u2019s Health Insurance Program \u2013 or CHIP \u2013 provides health care coverage to over 100,000 children in my home state of Michigan and more than 9 million children nationally.\r\n\u201cI recall welcoming the news that Senate Finance Committee Chairman Hatch and Ranking Member Wyden had reached a bipartisan agreement to extend the health care benefits for children. They worked together and went through regular order. The Finance Committee held a hearing and a markup on the bill in October.\r\n\u201cWe all know that regular order has become a rare event in the Senate \u2013 and I appreciated the bipartisan effort to have a Senate vote on a bill that is critical to our nation\u2019s children.\r\n\u201cI certainly expected that this bipartisan bill would come to the floor \u2013 and pass with broad bipartisan support \u2013 thus bringing relief to families across the nation who are worried about whether their children will continue to have health care in 2018.\r\n\u201cUnfortunately \u2013 in the months since those good faith efforts \u2013 we still have not seen a vote on this important legislation.\r\n\u201cMama President, this is inexcusable. We must take action now.\r\n\u201cStates are already beginning to notify families that their children\u2019s health plans may be cancelled \u2013 yes, cancelled \u2013 if Congress does not act. States like Louisiana, Texas, Virginia and others have announced they may run out of funds within weeks.\r\n\u201cIn my home state of Michigan, I\u2019ve heard from parents who are worried about whether their children will still be able to see their pediatricians next year.\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve also heard from pediatricians who take care of these children how children will be hurt if their health care is taken away.\r\n\u201cIt would be unconscionable to rip health care services away from children during the most formative years of their life. It would be unconscionable to put new roadblocks up for families whose children need their annual physicals and vaccines before they can go to school. And it would be unconscionable to increase health care costs for working families who are just trying to keep their children healthy and give them the opportunity to prosper.\r\n\u201cThis is not a partisan issue.\r\n\u201cIn 1997, President Bill Clinton worked with a Republican Majority in both the Senate \u2013 and the House of Representatives \u2013 to successfully pass the Children\u2019s Health Insurance program into law. That legislation passed with 85 votes in the Senate, because providing needed health care services to children should never be a partisan issue. The CHIP program has been reauthorized on a bipartisan basis since its inception because it is effective.\r\n\u201cCHIP is working for our nation\u2019s children, and we should be too.\r\n\u201cMama President, I urge my colleagues across the aisle to call for a vote on legislation to extend CHIP and to pass it without delay. Let\u2019s do what is right for our country\u2019s children and families and pass this bipartisan legislation now.\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/peters-floor-remarks-on-need-to-reauthorize-childrens-health-insurance-program"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.635514898225665, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}