Walden to Senate Democrats: Fund kids’ health care

(Update: Walden speech on House floor)

Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, spoke on the House floor Saturday, as the government shutdown took effect, and called on Democrats to put partisan politics aside and support the Children’s Health Insurance Program .

“We didn’t have to be here, and you sure as heck didn’t have to shut down the government,” Walden said. “Our choice yesterday was vote to fund the government, or not. Vote to fund children’s health insurance for 9 million children and, by the way, for states like mine that also includes DACA kids.”

“So when you voted against that yesterday, you voted not to provide insurance to children and pregnant women in our states. That is wrong. We are here to govern. We are governing as Republicans. We will get this government up and running and we will take care of those children.”

Friday night, Walden said, Senate Democrats blocked a government funding measure that provided the longest extension of CHIP in the program’s history. Walden, the only Republican in Oregon’s congressional delegation, also was the only member of the Oregon delegation to vote to provide a six-year extension of CHIP for the 122,700 Oregon children and pregnant women who rely on the program every day.

In November, the House passed Walden’s CHAMPIONING HEALTHY KIDS Act by a bipartisan vote. H.R. 3922 extends funding for CHIP, Community Health Centers, and other important public health programs.

H.R. 3922 was fully offset through responsible reforms like reducing federal subsidies for seniors earning more than $500,000 each year (or $40,000 each month) by limiting government contributions for their Part B and D premiums, and disenrolling lottery jackpot winners from Medicaid to prioritize the most vulnerable.

Last month, the House acted to provide short-term funding for states to continue their CHIP programs, including over $96 million for children and pregnant women in Oregon.

On Thursday, The House of Representatives passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government. Included in the CR is a provision providing six-years of funding for CHIP, which is the longest and most generous funding extension of the program. In recent days, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has updated its scoring of the provision, projecting a net savings over a six-year window.

Oregon’s two senators and governor, all Democrats, put the blame on Republicans for the failure to reach a deal to fund the federal government, while the state’s lone Republican on Capitol Hill said it was the other way around.

Here’s the statement from Sen. Ron Wyden:

“Instead of coming to the table and working on bipartisan solutions for dreamers, kids on CHIP and natural disasters like wildfires, Republican leaders insisted on a cruel partisan agenda that failed children at every turn and left our country weaker. I hope they set aside this ideological course and work to reopen the government and solve these pressing problems.”

This statement from Sen. Jeff Merkley:

“President Trump and most Congressional Republicans are choosing to shut down the government rather than agree to a bipartisan deal. President Trump has been rooting for a shutdown and now he’s got it. This Trump shutdown isn’t a reality TV show – it’s going to have actual consequences for the economy and America’s families, small businesses, military, and kids will pay the price. It’s time for the Republican Congress and the president to do their jobs and take the bipartisan deal in front of them.”

Gov. Kate Brown issued statement about 90 minutes before the 9 p.m. PT deadline:

“It is beyond frustrating that Washington D.C. inches toward a shutdown. The stakes are too high to put politics before people: President Trump stripped protections for Dreamers and Congressional Republicans have not prioritized Children’s Health insurance. Oregon’s families and Dreamers deserve certainty, not partisanship.

“But, as Washington D.C. falls apart, Oregonians will continue to come together. We must do everything in our power as a state to continue to protect our most vulnerable and provide the stability our economy needs to grow.

“The Governor’s Office is working with state agencies to manage any impacts and continue normal operations. If a shutdown lasts longer than two to three weeks, state agencies, depending on their own unique circumstances, may have to develop contingency plans.”

Earlier Friday, Walden posted a series of nearly identical tweets, defending the House Republican’s proposed funding bill and listing each Second District county’s number of children in the Children’s Health Insurance Program, such as:

“Last night, I voted to keep the government open & extend Child Health Insurance for 6 years for 4,516 kids in DESCHUTES COUNTY who rely on the program. Will Senate Democrats put partisan politics over these kids & shut down the government? #SchumerShutdown”