Bush vetoes children's health bill a second time

Bush vetoes children's health bill a second time
Wagons filled with petitions protesting President Bush's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program sit in front of the White House, October 1, 2007. Bush on Wednesday vetoed a bill expanding a popular children's health care program for the second time, angering Democrats who are locked in a fight with the administration over the budget and spending. (Jim Young/Reuters)WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush onWednesday vetoed a bill expanding a popular children's healthcare program for the second time, angering Democrats who arelocked in a fight with the administration over the budget andspending.
Pushed by the Democratic-led Congress but also supported bymany Republicans, the bill was aimed at providing healthinsurance to about 10 million children in low- andmoderate-income families. Taxes on cigarettes and other tobaccoproducts would have been increased to pay for the aid.
Bush vetoed a version of the bill in October but Congressquickly passed another one that included some changes but notenough to satisfy the White House.
"Because the Congress has chosen to send me an essentiallyidentical bill that has the same problems as the flawed bill Ipreviously vetoed, I must veto this legislation too," Bushwrote in a message to the House of Representatives.
The fight between Congress and the White House over thehealth bill is one in a series of clashes over spending thathave arisen as Bush approaches the start of his final year inoffice.
Bush has said the funding level sought by the Democrats forthe health program would have expanded it beyond its originalintent of covering poor children and marked a step towardgovernment-run health care.
'SAD ACTION'
Democrats say the additional money is needed to helpfamilies who cannot afford to buy private health insurance butwho earn too much to qualify for the Medicaid health careprogram for the poor.
"This is indeed a sad action for him to take, because somany children in our country need access to quality healthcare," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, toldreporters.
In vetoing the legislation, Bush said "this bill does notput poor children first and it moves our country's health caresystem in the wrong direction."
The bill would have provided $60 billion in funding for theState Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) over fiveyears, compared with the current $25 billion five-year fundinglevel.
Proponents argued that the $5 billion increase that Bushproposed in his budget was not enough to continue coverage forthe more than 6 million children now enrolled in the program.
Democratic leaders said they plan a temporary funding billto ensure that those children keep their coverage through thefiscal year that ends September 30.
In the meantime, Pelosi said Democrats would keep pushingfor a broader bill that would cover at least 10 millionchildren.
"I continue to stand ready to work with the leaders of theCongress, on a bipartisan basis, to reauthorize the SCHIPprogram," Bush wrote in his message to the House.
(Additional reporting by Donna Smith, Richard Cowan andMatt Spetalnick; Editing by Xavier Briand)