Rep. Boyle Issues Statement Opposing Cynical GOP Children’s Healthcare Reauthorization, Medicare Attack

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 -- Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., issued the following statement after voting against Republican legislation that would cut the Prevention and Public Health Fund, sabotage the Affordable Care Act, and raise Medicare premiums in order to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program, Community Health Centers, and other expiring public health initiatives:

"I'm disheartened and appalled that Republicans would play politics with the healthcare of children and mothers by fabricating this false choice between reauthorizing CHIP or funding crucial public health initiatives and Medicare for seniors. Healthcare should not be a zero-sum game.

"I refuse to treat these critical funds as though they are bargaining chips, one at the expense of the other. More than 176,000 children across Pennsylvania depend on CHIP to provide free or reduced price comprehensive medical, dental, and behavioral health services - including 12,599 in my congressional district alone.

"We must fully and cleanly reauthorize CHIP without cuts to other critical programs. I hope bipartisan negations continue so that we can vote on a clean reauthorization bill as soon as possible, rather than play partisan games."

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Congressman Boyle voted to reauthorize CHIP for two years in 2015, and signed onto a congressional letter last month urging House leadership to bring a clean reauthorization bill up for a vote as soon as possible.

This document was posted showing the date: Nov. 3, 2017.