Weekend Watchdog

Every Friday in our Weekend Watchdog feature, we post suggested questions for scheduled Sunday guests. You can add your own questions in the comment thread. We'll also include contact information for the shows, so we can let them know what their viewers want asked.

And on Sunday at 4 PM ET, tune in to Air America Radio's "Seder on Sundays" program, where I'll offer the Weekend Watchdog Wrap-Up.

Both Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt (ABC's This Week) and House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Adam Putnam (CBS' Face The Nation) will be defending President Bush's indefensible veto of expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Three questions for them:

1. President Bush, along with you two, continue to claim Congress' expansion of SCHIP would fund health insurance for families earning $83,000 a year.

But as Congressional Quarterly explains, "under current law, only the president can authorize states to use SCHIP to cover families earning $83,000, and Bush has declined to do so. The bill he vetoed would not change that procedure, and would discourage states from expanding SCHIP to families making three times the federal poverty level or more — $61,950 for a family of four."

And Republican senators Chuck Grassley and Orrin Hatch have repeatedly asked you to stop spreading false information about the bill.

Will you stop now?

2. You claim that SCHIP expansion "moves people from private insurance to government insurance."

But no one would be forced to drop private insurance. Most would only sign up if they didn't have any insurance, or their employer offered insurance insufficient to keep kids healthy.

Why do you want deny Americans that choice?

3. You claim that expanding SCHIP would be "Washington run health care." But the Bush administration just imposed Washington restrictions (possibly illegally) to prevent states from covering more kids.

Why do you only criticize federal government policies that help kids, not ones that hurt kids?

***

Contact ABC's This Week by clicking here

Email CBS' Face The Nation at ftn@cbsnews.com

Remember: always be brief, polite and respectful when contacting the media, so our voices will be taken seriously.

Views expressed on this page are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Campaign for America's Future or Institute for America's Future