WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2007
Bush Vetoes Kids' Health Bill Again
Rejection Of New SCHIP Bill Marks The President's Sixth Veto This Year
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(CBS/AP)
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Fast Facts
At A Glance: SCHIP
A look at the State Children's Health Insurance Program and the bill vetoed by President Bush.
It was Bush's seventh veto in seven years - all but one coming since Democrats took control of Congress in January. Wednesday was the deadline for Bush to act or let the bill become law. The president also vetoed an earlier, similar bill expanding the health insurance program.
Bush vetoed the bill in private.
In a statement notifying Congress of his decision, Bush said the bill was unacceptable because - like the first one - it allows adults into the program, would cover people in families with incomes above the U.S. median and raises taxes.
"This bill does not put poor children first, and it moves our country's health care system in the wrong direction," Bush's statement said. "Ultimately, our nation's goal should be to move children who have no health insurance to private coverage, not to move children who already have private health insurance to government coverage."
Bush urged Congress to extend the program at its current funding level before lawmakers leave Washington for their holiday break.
In fact, congressional leaders had already said earlier Wednesday that they now will try only to extend the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, well into 2008 in basically its current form. Their comments signaled that they have given up efforts to substantially expand the program.
The bill passed the Democratic-controlled Senate by a veto-proof margin, but the same was not true in the House. Even after the bill was approved, negotiations continued to find a compromise version that would attract enough Republican lawmakers to override Bush's expected veto. A two-thirds vote in both chambers is required to override a presidential veto.
But that effort was unsuccessful.
The bill Bush vetoed would have increased federal funding for SCHIP by $35 billion over five years, to add an estimated 4 million people to the program that provides insurance coverage for children from families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance. The joint federal-state program currently provides benefits to roughly 6 million people, mostly children.
A major point of contention with the White House was Bush's demand that nearly all poor children eligible for the program be found and enrolled before any in slightly higher-income families could be covered. He originally proposed adding $5 billion to the program over five years but later said he was willing to go higher as long as his conditions were met.
The president also has opposed using an increased tobacco tax to fund the program expansion. The bill includes a 61-cent rise on a package of cigarettes.
Bush's veto in early October of a similar bill was narrowly upheld by the House.
But such votes are uncomfortable for GOP lawmakers. It is a popular program with the public, making some Republicans wary of sticking with Bush on such an issue with the 2008 elections looming. Of the 43 million people nationwide who lack health insurance, more than 6 million are under 18 years old. That's more than 9 percent of all children.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the House will take up the extension question Thursday in a bill that also will make adjustments to Medicare.
"We'll obviously need to put additional money" into the children's health insurance program, Hoyer said, because several states say they will have to remove recipients from their rolls if the current funding level continues into next year.
Hoyer declined to say how much new money would go into the program or how long it might be extended. In the past, top Democrats have suggested they might extend the program until September or October, allowing them to reconsider it shortly before the 2008 elections.
Leading up to Bush's quiet late-afternoon action, the White House and Democratic leaders sought the upper hand with the public -- with each blaming the other for causing the stalemate and being unwilling to give ground.
In his veto statement, Bush said: "The leadership in the Congress has refused to meet with my administration's representatives." White House press secretary Dana Perino said that "even on a staff level, we weren't invited to negotiate."
"They've instead been intransigent and sent us two bills that they knew he wouldn't sign," she scoffed.
Not so, said Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
For instance, Reid approached Bush to ask for negotiations during a ceremony for the Dalai Lama in the Capitol Rotunda in mid-October, a couple of weeks after Bush's first SCHIP veto, he said. The president told Reid, "No, I'm not moving, meet with my staff," Reid said at the time.
"The fact is that Senator Reid and Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi asked to meet with the president to discuss giving children the health care they need, and he blew them off by telling them to talk to his staff," Manley said before the veto. "Now he's going to veto it for a second time without negotiating once."
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 190 Comments"I said, ''Dad, I''ve been raped. I don''t know what to do. I''m in this container, and I''m not able to leave,''" she said. Her father called their congressman, Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas.
"We contacted the State Department first," Poe told ABCNews.com, "and told them of the urgency of rescuing an American citizen" -- from her American employer.
Poe says his office contacted the State Department, which quickly dispatched agents from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to Jones'' camp, where they rescued her from the container.
According to her lawsuit, Jones was raped by "several attackers who first drugged her, then repeatedly raped and injured her, both physically and emotionally."
Jones told ABCNews.com that an examination by Army doctors showed she had been raped "both ******lly and anally," but that the rape kit disappeared after it was handed over to KBR security officers.
A spokesperson for the State Department''s Bureau of Diplomatic Security told ABCNews.com he could not comment on the matter.
Over two years later, the Justice Department has brought no criminal charges in the matter. In fact, ABC News could not confirm any federal agency was investigating the case.
WHAT ABOUT THIS BUSH
groups those who truly need the coverage with those who can afford to pay for their own kids coverage.
I''m happy to see bipartison cooperation on healthcare legislation and coverage being offered to those who can''t afford it, but we need to means-test these programs if we''re ever going to have an afforadable and efficient system of healthcare.
This is bad legislation.
Do not send this SOB one dime in military spending that is not attached to an immediate withdrawl of combat troops in Iraq!
If we can''t afford insurance for our children, then we can''t afford to babysit the Iraqi''s at the price of $9 billion a month while he tries to maneuver them into oil contracts for his Halliburton buddies!
FORGETABOUTIT!!!
Now they applaud Bush for vetoing a bill not once but twice to expand health care to poor children.
Bush supporters are idiots of the worse kind, ill-informed, gullible and stupid beyond comprehension.
Are you out of your freaking mind?
Oh, I get it. You''re actually a radical right-wing warmonger in sheep''s clothing.
Bush vetoed the bill in private.
HAH!!! The day is going to come (soon) where Bush will have all the privacy he wants!!
In a padded room playing with his GI Joes! Crazy fool!
He has at no time, been a supporter of the American people--it passes if it has something to do with oil or his buddies on the payroll for all the outsourcing in Iraq.
The day will come, when the only thing Bush will be able to pass will be Gas---not oil!!
Its time to show the GOP that we are going to hold them accountable for their actions.
Are you out of your freaking mind?
Oh, I get it. You''''re actually a radical right-wing warmonger in sheep''''s clothing.
Posted by creeper00 at 07:40 PM : Dec 12, 2007
Bingo. He is a right wing looneytoons calling himself a democrat. He is about as much a democrat as Di*ck Cheney. He''s full of sh*it.
Families whose children have no health insurance, are supposed to wait around until "ultimately" some goofy Pie-in-th-Sky pipe dream materializes ?
Bush"s False Claims About Children"s Health Insurance:
http://www.factcheck.org/bushs_false_claims_about_childrens_health_insurance.html
It''s called compassionate conservative republican politics.
In this case the kids learn that nothing is free.
The kids should be grateful they weren''t aborted, so now they can get to work.
That''s compassionate, isn''t it? ?
Are you out of your freaking mind?
Oh, I get it. You"re actually a radical right-wing warmonger in sheep"s clothing."
- Posted by creeper00 at 07:40 PM : Dec 12, 2007
"bobmarisol" is one of lars006"s screennames.
The propaganda is clumsily copy-pasted from lars006"s old bag of nonsense.
Why is this port here?
My thoughts exactly.
Once we get rid of the insurance company profiteers, reign in the pharmaceutical companies, and quit letting hospitals charge $2.00 for a single Q-tip, and regulate the hell out of all these people, we should have PLENTY of money!
The propaganda is clumsily copy-pasted from lars006"s old bag of nonsense.
Posted by Iceman_1960 at 07:49 PM
That is freakin'' funny!
A poster playing a childs game.
Absolutely funny.
Hey lars006, get a life.
First we had "No Child Left Behind".
Now we have "Poor Children Thrown from the Car"
Kids don''t vote or have campaign cash to ladle out. So they get tossed from the car. At 60 mph. In rush hour traffic.
Compassionate Conservative = this administration most outstanding oxymoron.
From the moron in our White House.
Never an opinion to add to any of the posts? Or just attacks on those who''s opinions you don''t agree with?
Frankly, I have no issues with the veto .. If someone making $65,000 a year qualifies for this program then we have a serious problem here ...
I am all for helping the needy (truly needy) but for the Pols to offer a bill that allows folks with obvious means to milk the taxpayers and create an even bigger program .. stop it in it''s tracks !!
GOOD JOB Mr. President !!
If you want socilaized medicine MOVE to Cananda or Europe and pay your 50% tax on wages to pay for it ...
If the government would enforce the laws and proseute ongoing medical fraud (est 60 BILLION annually) then we might be making headway !!
Clean up the fraud before you throw more money at it!!
NOW there''s an idea !!
As an independent I''ve puzzled over the same thing.
I''m not for a government controlled life and right now that''s ALL I see ahead for this country after the COMPLETE breakdown of our economy happens. Then, whether Bin Laden was for real or a front for something else, his threat to destroy the US will have been a flawlessly "accomplished mission" by his family''s friend George Bush.
Ironically I see NO END in sight with this CONTRIVED war for wealth transfer to a selected few - if ANY of the candidates - Democratic OR RepubliCON get in with the slightly possible exception of Ron Paul.
With the MSM blacklisting him and the dirty tricks squad focused on him; I doubt he''s got a chance.
The newest "dirty trick tactic" is to claim to be "for" Paul and be the most annoying obnoxious a**hole as possible in order to obscure the message and anger people.
Apparently, if it works we''ll soon be seeing a whole new type of campaign dirty trick happen to all the candidates!
Let''s call them "Anti-supporters".
My guess is that they''ll be coming to "support" YOUR favorite candidate soon no matter who he or she may be.
I''ve seen hints of this already cropping up with other candidates and I''m not sure once it starts how ridiculous, frustrating and vote destroying it could become.
"A major point of contention with the White House was Bush''s demand that nearly all poor children eligible for the program be found and enrolled before any in slightly higher-income families could be covered. He originally proposed adding $5 billion to the program over five years but later said he was willing to go higher as long as his conditions were met."
As for that $65,000 household income, you must not have to live in metro areas of California or the entire east coast.
in those areas $65k per year is the same as a family living on 40k per year in most of the midsection of the country.
Its almost impossible to make ends meet in those areas of the country wiht that income.
The bill allows for that which the Federal poverty level does not. And with Bush''s economy making living more expensive by 23% a year over the last 5 yrs its rediculous to think that what was poverty level 10 yrs ago, is even somewhere close to that today.
Bush needs to take away the Tax rewards to the Energy industry that has us all over a barrel...literally, and use that money to fund something we need.
Bush has never been a conservative, hes been only a spendthrift wiht our money and our children''s money for his family''s industrys and campaign donors.
If you want socilaized medicine MOVE to Cananda or Europe and pay your 50% tax on wages to pay for it ...
If the government would enforce the laws and proseute ongoing medical fraud (est 60 BILLION annually) then we might be making headway !!
Clean up the fraud before you throw more money at it!!
NOW there''''s an idea !!
Posted by Dowjones20k at 08:47 PM
You''re stupid.
How much is the bailout of the foreclosure mess?
Who''s going to pay for that?
And that is for the benefit of?
If a business does a bad job it should go BROKE.
If a child in America gets ill perhaps we should all watch to see if he buys a ticket to Europe or Canada and/or survives or eventually dies.(?)
Great thinking there Dowjones20k.
You can go to helll now.
What is the poverty level in North Carolina? Can a household income of $17.000 per year feed a family of six?
we have got to be close or at least closer to the end of existence when wealth is even a factor in a simple human being''s health. I hope those politicians keep playing their part in this self-fulfilling prophecy of self destruction.
- 20 something college student
Have you actually read the BILL? Or, do you believe the Bushwacker tells you.
Posted by rohink at 09:31 PM : Dec 12, 2007
I did. read my posts. I am with you on this.
My point is, he vetoed the bill as an excuse to exploit his power. Blind to the end, right republicans.
I actually read the article. Did you actually read the bill, or do you believe everything Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid tells you. Notice I didn''t say all Democrats? There are actually some good ones out there. And believe it or not, I don''t believe all Republicans are without fault.
What is it with you people that lump all into set catagories and insist on making up idiotic names?
Don''t you know and fancy lawyer trick when you see one . . . now nobody get health care, dummy.
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