CONCORD - Gov. John Lynch today issued the following statement regarding the U.S. House’s failure to override President Bush’s veto of reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program:

“Ensuring children have access to quality, affordable health care is the smart thing to do and the moral thing to do. I am deeply disappointed in the failure to override the President’s veto of the reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, despite the broad bipartisan support for this program.

“No parent in New Hampshire should have to worry about being able to afford to take a sick child to the doctor. No sick child should go without health care. And no child should go without preventative health care. That is why in this state budget, we made it a priority to make it possible to enroll another 10,000 children in our Healthy Kids’ Children’s Health Insurance Program over the next three years.

“I am going to keep fighting for the thousands of children currently enrolled in our Healthy Kids Children’s Health Insurance Program, and for all the New Hampshire children who need access to quality health insurance,” Gov. Lynch said.