Democrats: GOP Has Been Involved In SCHIP Negotiations Every Step Of The Way

Democrats say they're running an open, bipartisan negotiation process on the State Children's Health Insurance Program bill, dismissing Republican complaints that they've been shut out of the dealmaking.

Responding to a Politico story that ran today, Democratic aides say that representatives from Republican leader offices, including Reps. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) have been constantly involved in negotiations, trading legislative language in recent weeks. Senate Republicans, including Orrin Hatch of Utah and Charles Grassley of Iowa, have also been involved in closed door meetings, according to people from both parties who have been present at the meetings.

So far, House Republicans remain the primary holdouts on an SCHIP deal. The Senate has already achieved a veto-proof margin on a $35 billion expansion of the program to provide health care to 10 million uninsured, lower income children. Democrats rewrote the SCHIP bill after it was vetoed to address a handful of Republican concerns, but the legislation still fell short of a veto-proof margin in the House.

Reps. Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio) and Charles Dent (R-Pa.), complained this week in a letter to Democratic leaders that “there is no official process for members of both parties to evaluate proposed changes to the various legislative proposals.” But Democratic aides say key Republicans and their staff have been involved in many meetings, some of which have extended past midnight.

"We continue to talk with many different Republicans," said Stacey Farnen Bernards, a spokeswoman for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).