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Democrats Rip 'Highly Partisan' Bill to Fund Children's Insurance The Hill by Nathaniel Weixel — Nearly 100 House Democrats are urging congressional leaders to pass a bipartisan extension of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). In a letter sent Friday, 99 House Democrats urged leaders of the House and Senate to reject the House-passed CHIP extension and instead work on a bipartisan solution. The letter dismissed the House effort as a "highly partisan bill" that "seeks to provide healthcare for some at the expense of others, undermining CHIP's mission." Federal funding for CHIP expired in September. The Democrats said they want Congress to pass a five-year extension without any partisan funding offsets.
- The CHIP Program Is Beloved. Why Is Its Funding in Danger? New York Times by Abby Goodnough and Robert Pear — But CHIP, a program that has had unusually strong bipartisan support since it was created in 1997, is now in limbo — an unexpected victim of the partisan rancor that has stymied legislative action in Washington this year. Its federal funds ran out on Sept. 30, and Congress has not agreed on a plan to renew the roughly $14 billion a year it spends on the program. Congressional leaders may provide some temporary relief to a handful of states that expect to exhaust their CHIP funds before the end of this year. It would be tucked into a short-term spending bill intended to avert a government shutdown after Friday. Lawmakers from both parties hope to provide more money for CHIP in a separate, longer-term deal on federal spending. But Republicans will almost surely need Democratic votes to pass such legislation, and the antagonism between President Trump and Democrats in Congress is so great that no one can be sure of the outcome.