Democrats hopeful to overcome SCHIP veto

The Senate moved Thursday afternoon to limit debate on a bipartisan children’s health insurance bill, setting up an overwhelming victory that Democrats believe will hand them a potent political weapon against President Bush.

{mosads}Bush has vowed to veto the $35 billion expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), leaving Republicans trapped between repudiating the White House and blocking the hugely popular program from covering more uninsured kids. After 18 GOP senators voted with Democrats on Thursday, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he and House leaders would make a run at a veto override.

Reid told reporters that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), a longtime whip, “believes the votes are there to override the veto in the House. Maybe that’s optimistic, but that’s what he tells me.”

A successful override in the House would require snagging at least 10 Republican votes, which will be a tall order even after 45 Republicans embraced the SCHIP package earlier this week. Reid pointed again to an easier way around the SCHIP impasse, urging Bush to “reassess his muscle flexing” and sign the bill.

Bush and many congressional Republicans oppose the SCHIP expansion on ideological grounds, viewing it as a step toward government-run healthcare. But the strong support for SCHIP from GOP senators, along with another win Thursday on anti-hate crimes legislation, left Democratic leaders pleased.

“What it’s showing is, on the domestic agenda, Democrats have the strong upper hand and Republicans are beginning to break ranks,” Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), Democratic Caucus vice chairman, said. “This will happen on Iraq as well. It hasn’t happened yet.”