October 25, 2007
Dems Push Amended SCHIP Through
After day-long deliberations interrupted only by numerous procedural motions, House Republicans were forced to vote on a slightly different incarnation of a children's health insurance bill that's already been vetoed once and is destined for a veto again.
The bill passed 265-142, short of the two-thirds majority required to withstand President Bush's promised rejection. Republicans were incensed at being dragged to a vote on a bill they first laid eyes on yesterday. Several members took to the floor to rail against the Democrat leadership for being insensitive to the needs of their colleagues who had flown back to California because of the devastating wildfires there.
After failing to reach a two-thirds override a week ago, Democrats inserted provisions on eligibility caps and illegal immigrants to make the legislation more palatable to the minority. But the leadership would not budge on the $35 million price tag or a cigarette tax increase -- both nonstarters for the White House and most Republican members.
Federal funding for the widely popular SCHIP program, which provides medical coverage for children from families who can't afford private insurance but earn too much to qualify for Medicare, ran out at the end of September. Several states have been forced to freeze enrollment in the absence of federal contributions.
"Once again, Republicans have chosen partisanship over pediatrics," said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel, tsk-tsking the futile resistance of his GOP colleagues. "We're hopeful the president will sign this bill, but if an override of a veto is necessary, we hope Republicans will change their minds and support the program."
Hidden in that last statement is a threat that's already being wielded by advocacy groups. Ads targeting vulnerable House Republicans ahead of the election season have been airing since the summer. A spokeswoman for the Service Employees International Union said today that new ads were in the can, ready to hit the air following the vote.
Democrats plan to couch the SCHIP issue within the broader argument over the Iraq war. Republicans complain that the government can't afford the $35 million expansion; Democrats counter that the dollar amount is a mere sliver of what is being spent on the war in Iraq. The Congressional Budget Office said yesterday that the cost of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan could hit $2.4 trillion by the next decade.
Posted at 5:28 PM
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Bush Administration, Congress, Health, House, President Bush
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