Giuliani-Backed Veto Denies New Hampshire Kids Health Care
October 3, 2007
Washington, DC - While President Bush is vetoing the bipartisan plan that would provide 10 million children health care, Rudy Giuliani will be defending Bush's move as he campaigns in the Granite State this morning. Even though it would cost more than 8,700 kids in New Hampshire needed health care coverage, Giuliani has stubbornly backed Bush's veto threat for months. [CNBC Interview, July 2007, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgnOhJtJ6_E; AP, 9/26/07, Families USA, 9/25/07]
Giuliani's trip comes after New Hampshire joined seven other states-- including New York, Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington-- in suing the Bush Administration for jeopardizing kids' health coverage. The bipartisan plan that Rudy opposes has the support of 43 governors, including 16 Republican governors. [Associated Press, 10/2/07]
Rudy Giuliani has a long record of cutting health services for kids. As mayor of New York City, news reports show that he routinely slashed millions of dollars for city-run child health care clinics serving the poor and city funding for Medicaid as well as for an asthma initiative for kids in the Bronx.
"Kids in New Hampshire can not bear four more years of a president who would deny them health care coverage," said DNC Spokesman Dag Vega. "Rudy Giuliani's priorities are seriously misplaced. Like President Bush, Rudy would spend billions of dollars on a failed strategy in Iraq and then block funding for doctor visits kids need when they're sick and the checkups they need to stay well."
GIULIANI CUT CHILD HEALTH SERVICES
Budgets Routinely Slashed Important Child Health Services. Examples of annual cuts include: In 2000, "Giuliani's budget also includes a $ 2.1 million cut for city-run child-health clinics serving the poor," which he also threatened with closing in budget proposed in 1997. [Newsday (NY), 5/10/00, 3/11/97]
Giuliani Tried To Cut Medicaid Funding In FY 96 By $149 Million. Giulianis FY96 Executive Budget sought a $149 million funding cut in City funding for Medicaid. [Kids First New York; Childrens Impact Analysis of the Mayors FY96 Executive Budget, Citizens Committee for Children of New York]
GIULIANI CUT ASTHMA PROGRAMS FOR POLITICAL REASONS
Giuliani Stalled, Then Denied $2.3 Million To Asthma Initiative in 1998. A $2.3 million asthma initiative introduced by Hillary Clinton in 1997 for the Childrens Health Fund in the Bronx was stalled by the Giuliani administration, and then abruptly cancelled in 1998, according to the Daily News. [Daily News, 2/26/98, 2/27/98]
1996: Giuliani Would Drop Tens Of Thousands Of Kids From City Aid. "Penelope Pi-Sunyer, an analyst with the progressive group Alter Budget, said Giuliani's budget plan to drop 53,000 recipients from the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program didn't mention that two-thirds of those affected would be children." [Daily News (New York, 5/10/96]
1997: Cut Child Health Clinics. In his 1997 budget proposal, Giuliani planned to cut child healthcare services. [Newsday (NY), 3/11/97]
2000: Cut Child Health Clinics. "Giuliani's [2000] budget also includes [included] a $ 2.1 million cut for city-run child-health clinics serving the poor." [Newsday (NY), 5/10/00]
2001: Cut Children's Services. In December 2001, Giuliani proposed "slicing $119 million from children's services," including "$2.2 million for an education program to reduce infant mortality." [Daily News (New York), 12/8/01; 12/17/01]
