Children’s health program veto upheld, again

The House Democratic leadership again failed to win over enough Republicans to undo President Bush’s veto of a children’s health insurance bill Wednesday.

The 260-152 vote fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to override the veto on the measure, which would have added $35 billion to the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and, Democrats assert, provided health benefits to 10 million children.

{mosads}A group of 42 Republicans joined with 218 of the House Democrats in voting to override the veto.

Wednesday’s vote marked the second time the House failed to overturn a presidential veto on SCHIP legislation during the 110th Congress. Bush vetoed an earlier version of the bill in October. Congress passed the second version, which the president also vetoed, in November.

“President Bush strongly supports reauthorizing [SCHIP] in a way that puts poor children first, so he is pleased the House of Representatives voted today to sustain his veto of misguided legislation that would have expanded SCHIP to higher income households while increasing taxes,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a statement.

“Ultimately our goal should be to move children who have no health insurance to private coverage — not to move children who already have private insurance to government coverage.

Before wrapping up its business for the year in December, Congress approved legislation to extend SCHIP at its current funding level through March 2009.