U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said Monday that he and a high-ranking Republican colleague are actively working on a deal to reauthorize funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, R-Ore., ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee.

"We're going to get there," Wyden told reporters at a business summit in Portland.

He said he and Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, are working on the details of a reauthorization plan, though he did not give specifics. Wyden is the ranking Democrat on the Finance Committee.

The Children's Health Insurance Program provides insurance coverage for families with kids that have modest earnings, yet make too much to qualify for Medicaid. Nationwide, more than 9 million children are ensured through the program. Gov. Kate Brown has said one in 10 children in Oregon get health insurance via the program.

Congress first passed legislation creating the program in 1997. Since then, votes to renew its funding have been overwhelmingly bipartisan. But Congress let the program's funding lapse in September. Since then, states have been warning that they will run out of program funds unless Congress acts, which could leave millions of kids without health coverage.

Oregon is one of eight states that will run out of federal funding this month unless the program is reauthorized, Wyden said. Brown has directed Oregon's health agency to spend state funds to continue insurance coverage for children until the end of April 2018.

"If I had my way we would have done this weeks and weeks ago," Wyden said of a reauthorization vote. He said constituents with children covered by the program have contacted his office raising concerns about losing insurance and are "very frightened."

Since program funding expired, members of Congress have mainly been focused on tax reform. Republicans in the House and Senate passed massive tax cuts Saturday. That bill must go through the conference committee process before President Trump has an opportunity to sign it into law, and Republican leaders hope to do that before Christmas.

Members of Congress are also working on another immediate budget problem: Unless they reauthorize spending, the federal government will shut down on Dec. 8.

Hatch introduced legislation to renew funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, which Wyden cosponsored. It cleared the Senate Finance Committee, but has not been scheduled for a vote by the full Senate.

-- Gordon R. Friedman

503-221-8209; @GordonRFriedman