Bush Vetoes Second SCHIP Bill

December 13, 2007
As he had promised to do, President Bush yesterday vetoed a bill reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The vetoed legislation was the second try by Congress at a reauthorization; Bush had previously vetoed the first SCHIP bill Congress passed, and the new proposal was intended to meet some of the President’s objections to that original proposal. On its second try, however, Congress maintained a $35 billion additional federal contribution to SCHIP over the next five years, to enable states to enroll more children, which is more funding than the administration wants and apparently led to the veto. Negotiations in the House and Senate over a possible third SCHIP bill appear to have broken down, making it likely SCHIP will survive only at current funding levels and only for an indefinite time in the coming calendar year.