Feeney Should Stop Playing Politics with Children's Health

For Immediate Release: October 4, 2007

TALLAHASSEE - Feeney's full of it - again.

"Nobody in my district is going to change their mind based on something called SCHIP." - Republican U.S. Rep Tom Feeney (FL-24), The Politico, 10/3/07

This latest Feeney folly - publicly claiming that "nobody" cares about children's health insurance - adds to the growing list of reasons why the people of Florida would be better represented by almost anybody else.

Last week, without explanation, Feeney voted against health coverage for more than 500,000 uninsured children in our state. Today, we found out why: Politics.

In an Associated Press report, Feeney embarrassingly called his opposition to the vital State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) "an opportunity" for Republicans to "regain their brand." 

"Tom Feeney should stop playing politics with the health of Florida's kids. We thought it was bad enough when he broke the public trust for personal gain," Party Communications Director Mark Bubriski said. "But to put political opportunism above the health and well being of Florida's children is a new low for Jack Abramoff's favorite Floridian. Unfortunately for Feeney, he's going to learn the hard way that Florida voters do, in fact, change their minds when they find out their Representative values politics more than people."

SCHIP currently provides health care coverage to more than six million children nationwide. In Florida, 300,000 children who depend on the state's KidCare program are now at risk of losing their health care because of President Bush's veto and the unwillingness of Republicans like Feeney to reverse their vote. Florida stands to gain much from SCHIP expansion with 232,000 uninsured children receiving new coverage, and Democrats are fighting to overturn the veto.

Visit http://www.feeneysfullofit.com/ for more information on Feeney's scandalous record.

From The Politico:

Interviews with several of the targeted House Republicans - all of whom are considered vulnerable in next year's elections and are under pressure to change their vote on State Children's Health Insurance Program - give little indication that any of them would flip-flop on such a high-profile issue.

"This has less influence than a fly I swatted earlier today," said Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.), one of a handful of Republicans targeted by Democratic ad campaigns.

"Nobody in my district is going to change their mind based on something called SCHIP."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1007/6167.html

From the Associated Press:

But Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Fla., said in an interview that by aggressively defending and explaining Bush's veto, "there is an opportunity in the next few months for the Republicans to regain their brand."

"We can't win elections nationally if more Americans think Democrats are more fiscally responsible than Republicans," said Feeney, a target of Democratic radio ads attacking his support of the veto.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h3-r4-QX2sJIwxAkeLfY3zUOHgQAD8S295Q82