PATERSON--U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. issued the following statement praising the bipartisan agreement made between members of the House and Senate to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for an additional five years:

“Today Democrats and Republicans set aside their differences to forge a reasonable agreement that would cover approximately ten million children with health care.  I stand by members of the President’s own party in urging him to support the congressional proposal before CHIP expires on September 30th.  He has a moral responsibility to do so.  Anything less would be an affront on America’s children and working families.  Access to doctors, medicine, and preventative care for our children should never give way to political ideology.” 

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