WHEREAS, during fiscal year 2016, 8.9 million children were enrolled in the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program, according to government data, but as of September 2017, the program ran out of money and the Republican-controlled Congress has not reauthorized funding; and

WHEREAS, the Children’s Health Insurance Program pays for health care for low-income and middle class children whose parents do not qualify for Medicaid and who cannot afford to purchase health insurance for their children; and

WHEREAS, the Children’s Health Insurance Program provides vital funding that pays for the health care for thousands of children served by UFT members in hospitals, rehab facilities and schools, as well as in their homes; and

WHEREAS, Congress, on a bipartisan basis, has supported the Children’s Health Insurance Program since its inception in 1997; therefore be it

RESOLVED, the UFT membership — educators, trade unionists and individuals who understand the importance of a healthy population — urges the Republican members of Congress to reach across the aisle as in the past and immediately reauthorize funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program.