Schip bill vetoed again

This second veto comes approximately two months after the first veto by the President.

President Bush vetoed an expansion of the federally funded, state-run health insurance program for poor children for a second time Wednesday, telling Congress the bill "moves our country's health care system in the wrong direction."

In his veto message, President Bush calls on Congress to extend funding for the current program.

In his veto message, Bush said the bill is almost a duplicate of the proposal he spiked in October.

"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," he said in a statement released by the White House.

The bill would have expanded the State Children's Health Insurance Program by nearly $35 billion over five years, the same as the measure Bush vetoed October 3.

The president had proposed adding $5 billion to the program and said the version he vetoed would have encouraged families to leave the private insurance market for the federally funded, state-run program.

Democratic leaders said the new version addressed Republican objections by tightening restrictions on illegal immigrants receiving SCHIP benefits, capping the income levels of families that qualify for the program and preventing adults from receiving benefits.

Maybe saving 7 billion a year(You know the saying around Washington, a billion here and a billion there and soon we're talking real money) in a federal budget in the trillions is good policy, but I see it as more likely to be bad politics for the GOP in the 2008 Election. I said that while the Schip override vote was taking place last October. Namely that Democrats will use this to hammer republicans next fall in Congressional races. Look at the Republicans, they won't vote for children's health care.

That's an unpopular view of this legislation among conservatives, but I think I'm closer to the mark than they who say or think this will have no effect come November. We'll have to see who is right.

Linked to- Adam, Bright & Early, Bullwinkle, High Desert Wanderer, Leaning Straight Up, Pirate's Cove, Right Wing Nation, Rosemary,