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.
Bush's Justification
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.The Washington Post: Bush: No Deal On Children's Health Plan (July 19, 2007)
