House GOP protects Bush’s S-CHIP veto

October 18, 2007

In September, the House passed the bipartisan expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) by a wide margin, 265 to 159. But in the wake of a Bush veto, would proponents have the votes to override?

Regrettably, no. Just moments ago, the House voted 273 to 156 in support of the bill. Supporters picked up eight additional votes over the last month, but came well short of the 289 votes needed to override. A total off 44 House Republicans broke party ranks to support the legislation, while two House Dems voted with the minority.

Here’s the key number to keep in mind: last month 45 House Republicans voted for his bill. Today, that number dropped to 44.

In other words, after weeks of media scrutiny, public debate, constituent phone calls, right-wing smears of innocent families, and intense lobbying, the Republican Party ended up going backwards on providing healthcare for low-income kids.

The question, at this point, is what happens next. The NYT reports that congressional Democrats are “willing to tweak” the bill, but they plan to keep the integrity of the legislation in place.

…Democratic leaders, believing they have public support for expanding the program, said they saw no urgent need to negotiate the central elements of the bill.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said Democrats in Congress would not compromise on their goal of providing health insurance for 10 million children — 6.6 million already on the rolls and nearly 4 million who are uninsured.

Many Republicans argue that the vetoed bill would allow coverage of children from middle- and upper-income families and of adults and some illegal immigrants. Democrats reject such criticism, but say they will consider revising the bill to make its restrictions and prohibitions clearer.

“We will type it in bigger, bolder letters, but we will not compromise on the goal of insuring 10 million children,” said Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

Remember, there was a classic quote in Roll Call last week from a GOP lawmaker who wasn’t looking forward to today. “It’s stupid politics,” he or she said. “The leadership is putting pressure on Members [to sustain the veto], promising to rebuild the brand. I don’t know why our guys are following [Bush] into the sea like lemmings.”

There’s no indication the Dems are going to back down on this one at all. Already, there are plans to send a nearly-identical version of the bill back to the White House before the end of the year. If that draws another veto (and there still isn’t enough support for an override), Dems will send it a third time — shortly before the 2008 elections.

As for the Senate, there’s already enough support to override the veto. The Democratic leadership is ready to keep fighting for this bill.

The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, said he might be willing to “tweak something” in the bill to help the president “save face.”

Mr. Reid was asked Tuesday whether he would be willing to negotiate with the White House if Congress upheld the president’s veto. “No, no, no,” he replied. “We have negotiated.”

House Speaker Pelosi concluded, “This legislation will haunt him again and again and again. It’s not going away, because the children are not going away.”

“There’s no indication the Dems are going to back down on this one at all.”

um, their past history doesn’t suggest to you that they give in to bush and the republicans in 5, 4, 3………?

  • So who’s the Republican who decided to jump ship and side with the folks who smear children instead of with the children this time around?

    And who are Dem Reps Taylor and Marshall? What districts are they in and why would they be against this?

  • Never mind, I found the Republican. It’s not as big a deal as I thought – it’s King from NY – he voted Yea the first time around and didn’t vote this time. He didn’t change his vote, he just didn’t show up to vote this time around.

  • “There’s no indication the Dems are going to back down on this one at all.”

    We’ve already seen all the indications–they’ve developed a habit of just wilting to nothingness at the very thought that someone might be upset with them. Though they don’t seem to care about the people who voted them in being furious with their spinelessness.

    And WHY would Reid want to help Bush save face at the cost of his own?

    AAAAArrrrggggghhhhh……..

  • It makes no sense with all the money the president and the republicans have spent and wasted on defense how could this small amount for such a good cause be so important to them. It boggles the mind it’s so stupid. What is wrong with these people? They should be going out of their way to provide health care coverage for these children…over spending here should not be a big enough issue to cause these children not to be covered. What is wrong with these people?

  • “There’s no indication the Dems are going to back down on this one at all.”

    I guess for once the Constitution isn’t being raped. That’s usually when we see the most backing down.

  • bjobotts:

    All your confusion will be resolved if you understand that people don’t matter. Only money matters. People who have money are important. No one else is important. But even people with money don’t matter. Only their money matters.

  • I heard Rep. Roskam (R-IL) talking about S-CHIP on the radio locally yesterday. He mentioned that there is an alternative form of the bill (that supposedly has bi-partisan support) that he said he WILL be voting for after the veto of this bill was sustained. If anyone has any details on the new ‘bi-partisan’ bill I’d love some info, as I have not been able to find any.

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  • NonyNony –

    Marshall is from Macon, Georgia and Taylor is from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

  • They simply forgot to toss a few more millions to Big Pharma and the HMO’s. Once the lobbyists get through working them over they’ll rectify those little errors tut suite.

  • Interesting to note that 5 people who didn’t bother to vote the first time around showed up to vote today.

    This was Steve King’s (R-IA) take on the meaning of S-CHIP on the floor of the House today:

    S-CHIP:
    Socialized
    Clinton-Style
    Hillarycare for
    Illegals and their
    Parents

    If you’re from King’s district, somehow you elected a Neanderthal.

    This is the kind of mindset that will make the goal of affordable, accessible health care for all a pipe dream.

  • Well, I guess they’ll have to get back to other areas of governing, like giving King George his ransom for Dick’s Private Empire and having Congressional subpoenas scoffed at and such. You know, a truly progressive agenda.

  • Zeitgeist –

    Thanks – I did a google search after I posted that, which is what I shoulda done before posting anyway.

  • This was Steve King’s (R-IA) take on the meaning of S-CHIP on the floor of the House today…

    Another reason why the canny voters of Iowa should retain their pre-eminence in selecting our Presidents.

  • Indeed, it appears that Marshall and Taylor have an infamous history of breakingranks together – they were also the only two D’s to vote against the Resolution opposing “The Surge.”

    Tayloer is also a Blue Dog, and presumably he did not oppose the Democrat’s S-CHIP bill out of a philosophical opposition to government subsidized health care — since it appears one of his signature issues is increasing government health care for National Guard members.

  • Dennis, rest assured that King’s district is not choosing a Democratic candidate. Indeed, I’m not sure if there are actually any Democrats at all in King’s district.

    The rest of the Iowa delegation – including Latham (R-IA4) voted correctly.

    What is sad about King’s position is that his district would likely benefit more than most from the bill. That part of the state is not doing all that well economically.

  • Interesting to note that 5 people who didn’t bother to vote the first time around showed up to vote today.

    Four, actually. Delahunt, Cubin, Herger and Poe. 1 for the override, 3 against.

    Carson, Jindal and Johnson didn’t vote in either round. Rep. Davis passed away between the votes and wasn’t available to vote in the first round.

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  • Thanks, Nony – I was just going by the vote count (265 + 159 = 424 on the original vote and 273 + 156 = 429 on the override).

  • Looking at Jim Marshall’s Wikipedia, I see the problem. Is every place outside Atlanta a home for Lesters? Maybe that’s also the big problem with CNN, and the reason why God is showing his Anger at the Peach by taking away its water. My own brother moved down there 25 years ago, a relatively sane man. Now he’s a total loon. I blame the propinquity of Stone Mountain and the horrible influence of that statue of Bobby Lee.

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  • It’s a sad day in America when we can waste trillions in a failed foreign war but won’t provide health care for our children. This is a national disgrace, Shame on the Republicans.

  • What to do now? Reintoduce this bill – exactly the way it is now – in the first week of December – Let it pass in both Chambers again, timing it just right so that the president vetoes it again, and hold the vote to override the day before they break for the holidays – let it be the last thing they do before they go home for the holidays.

  • tweak the bill? In the past when Rethugs were in the majority and this happened, they just added MORE crap to the bill and sent it back.

    C’mon guys… grow a set and throw the damn thing back in their faces. Over and over again if necessary. And if you can’t get any of the peoples business done, then just go home. It’s would be a hell of a lot less frustrating that way.

  • Please do not confuse Rep. King (R-IA) with the rest of Iowans, or the human race, for that matter.

    Just make simple people scared that immigrants will come and take what’s left for them after the likes of King feed at the trough, and you’ll win big.

  • Yes, there is King in Iowa and others but let’s be honest One Region cast the majority of votes against the override. Time and again the same region.

  • I’m really suprised that Taylor voted with the Reps on this one, though he and his district tend that way. Bay St Louis MS is incredibly poor and got all sorts of Gob smacked during Katrina.

    Please Dems grow a pair and keep sending this back, make those horrible rethugs own their votes. Why do Republicans hate children? Once again the culture of life includes only to the moment of birth, and then f**k you, kid, you’re on your own.

  • While SCHIP is a great and necessary program, the funding plan for it was a Republican dream…no income tax involved, just tax “sin”. It was a regressive, moralistic, egregiously un-Democratic (and undemocratic) funding plan, just what the Republicans love.

    Hope when the bill is re-worked, the Democrats have the sense to ditch the tobacco tax in favor of an income tax to fund SCHIP. As it stands, it may tax people of lower income than those it purports to help. What could be more Republican than that?

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