BIOGRAPHY
Niki Tsongas is currently serving her first term as a Member of the US House of Representatives representing the Fifth Congressional District of Massachusetts. She is the first woman to be elected to Congress from the state of Massachusetts in 25 years. For more biographical information, please visit http://www.tsongas.house.gov/biography.shtml.
Q1: While the U.S. has made improvements in the number of children who have health insurance, many children remain uninsured. In addition, federal funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) will expire unless the program is reauthorized by March 2009. What priority do you place on SCHIP reauthorization? What can be done, if anything, to increase the number of children who have access to health insurance?
I began my service in Congress by proudly voting to override President Bush's veto of a children's health care bill that had overwhelming bipartisan support. Unfortunately, the veto was upheld. The President's veto was wrong, and I will not give up. I remain committed to working with my colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, to ensure that all children have access to the healthy start in life they deserve.
Q2: While the federal government has supported many initiatives to improve health care quality, these efforts often focus on adults and Medicare recipients. What steps, if any, would you support to enhance the quality of children's health care?
Massachusetts stands to get hit especially hard if an extension of the state children's health care program cannot be worked out before funding runs out. Massachusetts' health care plan, that has created a successful partnership between the federal and state government, employers, and individuals, relies on the government funds provided through the Children's Health Insurance Program. Medicaid and SCHIP in MA have been enormously successful and we must continue to support these effective programs.
Q3: Senator Menendez introduced S. 3277, the "Children's Budget Act," which would add a requirement to future federal budgets to list the different sources of federal funding for children's programs, thereby illustrating how the federal government prioritizes and allocates resources affecting children. What importance, if any, do you place on creating a Children's Budget and why?
As a member of the House Budget Committee, I know that the federal budget is a reflection of our national priorities. I came to Congress intent on fulfilling our responsibility to protect and care for the next generation. The interests of our children should always be a main priority, and we should never shortchange our most vulnerable members. I continue to work to make sure that the budget reflects the best interests of our children.
Q4: Health care reform may be a big topic for Congressional debate in 2009. What initiatives, if any, would you proactively support? How do you see children's healthcare fitting into this larger debate?
Health care reform, addressing access, quality and cost, must be one of the highest priorities for the next president of the United States because we all deserve better than the system we have today. I will continue to work in a bipartisan way to find a solution to our broken health care system, instead of holding the health and wellbeing of those who are most in need of assistance, especially our children, in the balance.
Q5: The Federal Poverty Measure has remained virtually unchanged since it was first created in the 1960s, leading to various proposals to modify it. What changes, if any, would you make to the current method of determining how many Americans lives in poverty and why?
The current Federal Poverty Measure is completely outdated, and there has been a bipartisan effort to update it. However, this likely won't happen until we have a new president. We need to overhaul the way we measure poverty in order to identify policies to effectively help Americans living in poverty. A more modern and accurate method to determine poverty could be modeled after some of the newer measures used in major metropolitan cities.
Q6: The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 is set to expire on September 30, 2009. This legislation includes a range of programs—such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, the summer food service program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. Which programs supported by the legislation, if any, would you support? What can be done, if anything, through this legislation or other vehicles to help children, families, and communities address the growing childhood obesity crisis?
Obesity has become one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. Without proper nutrition, our students grow up more at risk for illness and chronic disease. This year, I supported the Farm Bill which dedicated over $10 billion to nutrition programs for families including $1 billion to schools for free fresh fruits and vegetables. I will continue to support efforts like this to help address this growing crisis.
Q7: Child poverty has been shown to have an effect on children's health, education, and development. What do you think should be done by the federal government to reduce poverty among children in Massachusetts and throughout New England?
I am a strong supporter of Head Start and I have witnessed firsthand how these programs play a major role in the future health and well-being of our young people. As a member of the Budget Committee, I actively supported increased funding for Head Start in order to reverse proposed cuts by the Bush administration and I will continue to strongly support this and other programs that give our children a head start.
Q8: The increasing incidence of chronic diseases in children (i.e. asthma, diabetes, mental health) presents major challenges to our health care system. How would you work to prevent disease and ensure children have access to the health services they need?
Nearly 10 million uninsured Americans are children. That is not only a national embarrassment, but it is a prescription for higher health care costs when those who are uninsured only enter the system after the cost of treating a chronic illness or disease has skyrocketed. We must expand access to health insurance for children so that they are able to get the preventive care they need before they get sick.
