ANOKA – Bob Olson, a DFL candidate in the 6th Congressional District, released the following statement this evening:

"It's time for President Bush to stop playing politics with health care for poor children and sign the S-CHIP funding bill.

"The new proposal, supported by Democrats and Republicans, provides a critical safety net for millions of low-income families. They're working hard, doing all the right things and shouldn't be forced to choose between health care for their kids and life's other necessities.

"How children are cared for defines who we are as a country. S-CHIP is a consensus issue. Look at the large bipartisan majorities in Congress supporting it, numerous opinion polls, and the hard work of labor, medical associations, the faith community and many other groups. In an era of hyper-polarization, this issue has brought people together time and time again.

"Providing health care for our children is something America can do and must do. Certainly if we can spend hundreds of billions on Iraq, we can invest a tiny fraction of that in a program designed to help working American families.

"It's my hope that President Bush will use his remaining months in office to help get good things done for our country. Signing the S-CHIP bill would be a great start."

S-CHIP currently provides health care for 6.6 million children whose parents earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance coverage.

The bipartisan proposal approved by both houses of Congress would renew S-CHIP funding and extend coverage to an additional 3.8 million children (out of 9 million uninsured nationwide).

Minnesota Reps. Ramstad, Peterson, Oberstar, Walz, Ellison and McCollum voted in favor of the current proposal, as did Sens. Klobuchar and Coleman. Reps. Bachmann and Kline opposed it.