Kimmel spars with Ryan staffer over CHIP

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel sparred with a spokesman for Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Wednesday over legislation to fund a children’s health program. 

Doug Andres, the press secretary for Ryan, included Kimmel on his retweet of a health-care reporter who said it would be “interesting” to see how many Democrats will vote against a short-term spending bill that could include a six-year extension for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a longtime Democratic objective.

Cc: @jimmykimmel https://t.co/N6iNzv9e6v

— Doug Andres (@DougAndres) January 17, 2018

“Shame on you for making CHIP a bargaining chip, shame on you for tying our children’s lives to immigration and shame on you and @SpeakerRyan for doing ANYTHING other than funding CHIP cleanly and IMMEDIATELY,” Kimmel fired back.

Shame on you for making CHIP a bargaining chip, shame on you for tying our children’s lives to immigration and shame on you and @SpeakerRyan for doing ANYTHING other than funding CHIP cleanly and IMMEDIATELY.

— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) January 17, 2018

“Republicans are the ones funding CHIP completely and immediately. Democrats are the ones voting no,” Andres tweeted back at Kimmel. “Also, on what planet are Republicans the ones tying anything to immigration?”

Republicans are the ones funding CHIP completely and immediately. Democrats are the ones voting no. https://t.co/vLBOncsdIE

— Doug Andres (@DougAndres) January 17, 2018

Also, on what planet are Republicans the ones tying anything to immigration? https://t.co/vLBOncsdIE

— Doug Andres (@DougAndres) January 17, 2018

Nine million children are covered under the plan that lawmakers have been debating for months. Lawmakers have said they’re close to a stopgap deal to fund the government that would likely include the reauthorization for CHIP. Congress needs to fund the government by Friday to avoid a shutdown.

The spending bill is currently in limbo, as Democrats want to include an extension of protections for immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. 

Kimmel has hounded the GOP on its health-care efforts over the past year, and called for the Affordable Care Act to remain in place. The late-night host, whose son has undergone surgery for a heart defect, was a vocal critic of Republican efforts to repeal the legislation.