How I Spent My August Recess: 2nd Rep. Fossella Edition

When we last checked in on Rep. Vito Fossella, R-N.Y., he was trying to keep quiet about his vote against expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Now he's taking it a step further.

After the Bush administration issued new rules cracking down on states trying to cover more kids under the present law, Rep. Fossella is posturing as a Bush critic and defender of kids.

He wrote a letter expressing opposition to the new rules, and put out a press release saying: "The SCHIP program has been a huge success in providing coverage to millions of uninsured, low-income children, ... Unfortunately, new requirements would hurt states like New York from providing coverage to additional uninsured children. A policy of denying access to health care to additional low-income children is misguided."

Very compassionate.

Except that NY13 Blog reminds us:

What is more of a blow to State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is the fact that Rep. Vito Fossella voted against the program on August 1, 2007.

...

What hurts states from providing coverage is congressional representatives who vote against the program and try to cut its funding or end it altogether. Rep. Fossella has it right though that denying access to health care to low-income children is misguided, almost as misguided as his own vote against it and now his attempts to put blame elsewhere for hurdles to implement the program.

As this issue looks to garner more attention next month, it's going to harder for Fossella to get away with saying in effect, "I actually was for SCHIP, before I voted against it."

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