President Bush yesterday made good on his promise to veto legislation to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), drawing the ire of congressional Democrats and setting the stage for an override battle in the House, which last week cleared the bill with 19 votes shy of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto. The Senate vote was veto-proof, at 67-29. The bill would expand SCHIP by $35 billion over the next five years--enough to provide health coverage to approximately 4 million more children than the program currently covers.
Those in favor of the bill immediately expressed their disappointment with the veto. In a statement, Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, said, “The president’s veto is a slap in the face to America’s children. For millions of children in working families, it says ‘No health care for you.’
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement: “Despite the president’s veto, we will continue to work with a bipartisan majority in Congress and 43 governors from across the country to increase support for SCHIP in the House. . . . We remain committed to making SCHIP into law--with or without the president’s support.” The override vote is scheduled for Oct. 18.
