Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, is the host of SiriusXM radio's daily program "The Dean Obeidallah Show" and a columnist for The Daily Beast. Follow him @deanofcomedy. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

(CNN) If only Donald Trump and the GOP were as concerned with the health of children as they are with passing a tax cut that will benefit corporations and the wealthy. Then we would be getting daily updates from GOP leaders on their progress to help the nearly 9 million children who depend on the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for their health care. And Trump would be tweeting that these children are his top priority. But clearly, that's not the case.

CHIP, a program that has existed for two decades, is a godsend for the children who depend on it and their families. The program offers low-cost health coverage to families that don't have the income to afford other health care but earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, and provides children with everything from checkups to prescriptions to emergency services and, in some states, covers expectant mothers. Around 2 million of the children enrolled in CHIP have asthma, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, mood disorders, diabetes, epilepsy or developmental disorders.

Yet, despite this program being a lifeline for so many children, it ran out of funding on September 30 because the Republican-controlled Congress failed to act. And now we are at the point where states, which individually administer the program, have begun informing parents that their children's health care is in jeopardy. Just this past week, Virginia officials sent letters to over a thousand pregnant women and parents to alert them that their coverage " could lapse ."

Even more alarming is that 16 states will run out of funds by the end of January, potentially depriving hundreds of thousands -- perhaps even millions -- of children and pregnant mothers of the health care under CHIP. Just imagine what it would be like if you were facing the painful reality that in a few weeks you might not be able to afford to help your sick child get health care?

Earlier this week, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel tried his best to bring attention to funding CHIP by making an emotional plea on his show while holding 7-month-old son, Billy . A teary-eyed Kimmel called on Congress to act, explaining that, "Parents of children with cancer, diabetes and heart problems are about to get letters saying their coverage could be cut off next month. Merry Christmas, right?" He added, "This is literally a life-and-death program for American kids."