UMWA President Roberts’ statement regarding the SCHIP veto

United Mine Workers of America International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today:

“By vetoing the reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP), President Bush has turned his back on millions of eligible children desperately in need of health care coverage. Many of those directly affected are our neighbors in America’s coalfields, for whom an uninsured illness or injury could seriously threaten their parents’ ability to feed, clothe and shelter them.

“Congress must demonstrate that it stands with our children, not with a mean-spirited right-wing agenda. With a House vote to override the veto scheduled for next week, we call on our members and their families to contact their representatives to demand that they support a strong SCHIP bill that provides children with the health care they need.”