SCHIP Bill Stops At Bush’s Veto Pen Once Again

SCHIP Bill Stops At Bush’s Veto Pen Once Again in Politics and Legislation

Yesterday, President George W. Bush vetoed the second version of a bill to expand the state Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Lawmakers in Congress sent the revised version of the SCHIP bill to President Bush’s desk 10 days ago. The president had until yesterday to reject the bill or it would have become law, reported the New York Times.

“Because the Congress has chosen to send me an essentially identical bill that has the same problems as the flawed bill I previously vetoed, I must veto this legislation, too,” explained President Bush in a statement.

After President Bush vetoed the first version of the SCHIP bill, the Senate voted to overturn it, but the House of Representatives did not have enough votes.

The same is true this time around. Democrats in the House appear to fall short of the needed two-thirds vote even though they tried to make compromises to gain more Republican support.

But many Republican lawmakers, including President Bush, won’t budge. They argue that expanding SCHIP would allow adults to get coverage on a program designed for children.

“This bill does not put poor children first, and it moves our country’s health care system in the wrong direction,” wrote President Bush.

The president also opposed the funding of the publicly popular bill, which would have increased tobacco taxes.

President Bush is now calling on Congress to keep SCHIP funded at its current level before the holiday break, reported CBS News.

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