| Amid the face-off, Democrats
have called for an extension of the existing SCHIP program through
next summer. The next vote on the program would then take place
in the fall of 2008, just ahead of the presidential election.
So expect to see more of those commercials.
Democrats have painted opposition to the bill as voting against
children.
"To be a great nation we have to take care of the health
of our children. It should almost go without saying, but it doesn't.
There is every compassionate humanitarian, motherly, fatherly,
and family reason to be for this legislation," said Speaker
of the House, Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California.
 Republicans,
like House leader John Boehner of Ohio, dismiss the proposal as
"nothing more than a political game, getting ready for the
next election."
Republican Rep. Thomas Reynolds of New York called the override
attempt "raw politics - trotting out a vote, just for the
sake of a vote."
Democrats insist that the revised bill addresses the Republican
concerns with the initial expansion bill.
Among the revisions are an end to coverage of childless adults
and a ban on insuring illegal immigrants.
Still, President Bush says his concerns have not been addressed
"in a meaningful way," and dismisses the bill as "more
of the same."
--Compiled
by Steve Goldbloom for NewsHour Extra
|
Democrats
tried unsuccessfully last week to override the president's veto
of a bill expanding the SCHIP legislation. 
When
a child is uninsured, they often can't afford to see a doctor.
Because they don't have regular check-ups, many uninsured people
wind up in a hospital emergency room if they fall ill.
President
Bush vetoed the measure on Oct. 3, 2007 believing it would "federalize
health care." 
American schools and financial aid should be only for legal citizens of the United States. There should be no exceptions to this.
