Deja Vu: Bush Promises Veto After House Passes New Child Health Care Bill

Deja Vu: Bush Promises Veto After House Passes New Child Health Care Bill

by Mike Hall, Oct 25, 2007

The U.S. House today voted again to provide health care coverage for 10 million children whose families can’t afford it. Today’s vote (265-142) on a revised bill to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) won overwhelming bipartisan support, but not enough to overcome another veto by President Bush.

With Bush ready to veto another SCHIP bill, it is unclear what the next step will be after today’s vote. Temporary funding and authorization for the program both expire Nov. 16.

Bush vetoed Congress’ first attempt to reauthorize the program to provide health care for more than 6 million children currently covered plus an additional 4 million. Last week, the House fell 13 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to override the veto.

The newest SCHIP bill includes several adjustments in areas that Republican lawmakers who backed Bush’s veto said they objected to. Much of the anti-SCHIP rhetoric was based on a distorted description of the previous bill and what some House members called outright lies, including smear attacks on a 12 year-old boy and his family.