| Congressman Chris Lee, as I acknowledged in a post yesterday about the SCHIP vote, voted in support of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009.
Lee was one of 40 Republicans to vote in favor of the bill. He also voted differently than his predecessor, Tom Reynolds, did. Reynolds voted against SCHIP legislation on multiple occasions. Now, the people of the 26th congressional district can say that their representative voted in favor of SCHIP.
This is what Lee said after voting to support SCHIP:
"I am proud to support legislation that strengthens SCHIP's ability to provide children living in poverty with access to affordable health insurance. This program has a solid track record of covering children in families who don't have enough resources to keep pace with the rising costs of health care.
"Ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly is one of my highest priorities, which is why I am pleased that this measure does not add to the federal budget deficit. At the same time, I have concerns about whether this legislation does enough to focus coverage to help children most in need. We cannot tolerate any loopholes or abuses, especially now in the middle of an economic crisis, when the situation for many families is dire. I hope the legislative process will yield a better final product that addresses these concerns and ensures that SCHIP continues to serve the needs of low-income children first.
"Today's vote is a victory for Western New York families, but it is only a first step in our efforts to reform America's broken health care system."
I know many people in the 26th congressional district and I am certain that this vote will get their attention. In the past, we have had a representative who voted the Republican party line on most, if not all of the critical pieces of legislation that the House of Representatives voted on. Now, we have a representative who, early on in his term, has voted against his party and for the constituents and working families in his district.
We aren't going to see eye-to-eye with Chris Lee, but I will never criticize him for doing something good. This is a great vote by Lee. He deserves recognition for it, considering Reynolds never would have cast such a vote.
My kudos to Congressman Lee for his vote. It was the right thing to do. |
