Guide Note

October 3, 2007: President Bush vetoed legislation proposing a $35 billion expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Plan budget. The veto was highly criticized by Congressional Democrats who claim that the Bush Administration has failed to make child health care a priority.

Fast Facts

1. Bill included a $35 billion expansion of SCHIP
2. Payed for by a $0.61 tax on every pack of cigarettes¹
3. The bill would have provided health care to families earning $83,000 annually
4. October 18, 2007: House of Representatives fell nine votes short of overriding the veto
5. Between October 3 and October 18th Democrats launched a grassroots, television, and radio publicity campaign aiming to persuade fifteen Republicans to cross party lines to override the veto
6. Quote:
   • "Today the president showed the nation his true priorities: $700 billion for a war in Iraq, but no health care for low-income kids; $50 billion in subsidies for huge oil companies; but no health care for low-income kids; $8 billion lost to waste, fraud, abuse, and no-bid contracts in Iraq, but no health care for low-income kids..."²

• • • • — Rep. Rahm Emanuel

President Bush has said that he supports an expansion of the SCHIP program and proposed increasing the funding by $5 billion. Bush claims to have vetoed the bill because he believed that a $35 billion expansion would encourage families to switch away from affordable private insurance in favor of a free government alternative.¹