Submitted by Conor Kenny on
Last week, House Republicans once again defeated an attempt override Bush's veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) expansion bill. Democratic leaders had re-submitted their old bill but actually lost ground this time as three Democrats and two Republicans failed to show up for the vote.
Though many Republicans voted for the bill, their House leaders once again cited higher tobacco taxes and the bill's $35 billion price tag in leading most of their party to oppose it. They also said the bill would cover illegal immigrants and middle-income Americans, though the bill now explicitly forbids that. The program is funded through March 2009 at existing levels, but Democratic leaders have said that the lagging economy will drive up the number of uninsured children, necessitating quicker action on expansion, so expect more votes this year.
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