Look very closely at Congressman Chris Shays' recent actions on the renewal of the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and you'll understand how he really operates. In September, Mr. Shays joined with 45 Republicans and 220 Democrats to pass the renewal and extension of SCHIP (HR 976, Roll Call #906, September 25), which had just passed the Senate by an overwhelming and veto-proof majority. The bill extends health insurance to the children of poor and working class Americans who can't afford private health insurance, and was credited with sharply reducing the number of uninsured children over the past ten years. Naturally, George Bush vetoed the measure, for which he became the butt of jokes from Jon Stewart, and drew the ire of the AARP, American Medical Association, American Federation of Teachers, Catholic Health Association of America, the March of Dimes, and American Cancer Society, among many others. Following Bush's veto, Mr. Shays promised he would vote to override it, calling the SCHIP extension, "a good, bipartisan bill that is worthy of passage." But as always with Mr. Shays, one has to look behind the curtain to find out what he's really up to.
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