Statement of Daniel E. Smith, President, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- January 23, 2008 -- “It’s not every day Congress has the opportunity to support legislation that would save more than 900,000 lives. Yet despite overwhelming support from a bipartisan majority of Congress and a large segment of the public, the House of Representatives today failed to secure enough votes to override President Bush’s second veto of legislation expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
“The bill would expand the number of children covered by SCHIP by raising the federal cigarette tax by 61 cents, an increase that would prevent 900,000 premature deaths from smoking and save 1.9 million children from becoming lifelong tobacco users. The increase would reduce youth smoking by an estimated seven percent and overall cigarette consumption by four percent.
“By sustaining the President’s veto of the SCHIP bill, House members who chose to stand with the President did so at the expense of disadvantaged children. This is a tremendous opportunity lost, not only for the kids who need health care but for all Americans who would benefit from the enormous lifesaving potential of an increase in the federal tobacco tax.
“In the last few months thousands of ACS CAN volunteers across the country contacted their Representatives in support of overriding the President’s veto. Cancer advocates held rallies in 15 key congressional districts, made 2,300 phone calls to targeted congressional offices and sent nearly 16,000 emails to lawmakers this week urging them to support the 61-cent increase in the federal tobacco tax to expand the SCHIP program.
“A Congressional veto override would have given 4 million additional low-income children access to vital health care coverage and saved hundreds of thousands of lives through an increase in the federal tobacco tax.”
ACS CAN is the nonprofit, nonpartisan sister advocacy organization of the American Cancer Society, which is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage lawmakers, candidates and government officials to support laws and policies that will make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Alissa Havens
Phone: (202) 661-5772
Email: [email protected]