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Kids' health insurance bill won't die, Democrats vow

But they don't dispute claims that the GOP has the votes to sustain the president's veto.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published October 15, 2007

WASHINGTON - House Democratic leaders said Sunday they were working to gather votes to try to override a veto on a popular children's health program, but pledged to find a way to cover millions without insurance should their efforts fail.

At the same time, the White House sought to chide the Democratic-controlled Congress as the obstructionists in reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program. It said it was the Democrats who had shown unwillingness to compromise.

President Bush is "more than willing to work with members of both parties from both Houses," deputy press secretary Tony Fratto said.

In talk show interviews, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer did not dispute claims by Republican leaders that the GOP will have enough votes to sustain Bush's veto when the House holds its override vote on Thursday.

Pelosi and Hoyer promised to pass another bipartisan bill if needed. "Isn't that sad for America's children?" said Pelosi, D-Calif., when asked about the GOP's assurances the override vote will fail. "We'll try very hard to override it. But one thing's for sure: We won't rest until those 10-million children have health care," she said in an interview broadcast Sunday.

Hoyer, D-Md., declined to predict Thursday's vote but did say, "This is a defining moment for the Republican Party, in my opinion." He later added that the program is "not going to die. We're going to go back and we're going to pass another bill."

House Democrats scheduled the vote after Bush vetoed legislation this month that would increase spending for SCHIP by $35-billion over five years. Bush has called for a $5-billion increase.

An override requires a two-thirds majority in the House and Senate. The Senate approved the increase by a veto-proof margin, but the House vote fell about two dozen votes short.

On Sunday, House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he hopes that Democrats will agree to negotiate once the veto is sustained so that the children's insurance program can be reauthorized.

"Most people don't want government-run health insurance," he said. "Republicans are working on a plan that will provide access to all Americans to high-quality health insurance, make sure that we increase the quality of health insurance that we have in America."

[Last modified October 14, 2007, 22:48:04]