I reported on July 8 and then again on July 11 about the reauthorization of the STATE CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM (SCHIP) currently is working it's way through Congress. In my July 11 post I noted that the belief tankers at the Heritage Foundation oppose the SCHIP program as a gateway to "socialized medicine." Beltway conservatives have gone so far as to suggest that the President will veto any bill that doesn't roll the program back to something they approve. CQ.com reports that members of the Senate Finance Committee confirm that administration officials have also threatened a veto. SCHIP is the darling of any number of conservative Republican governors. Apparently veto talk sent shock waves through their ranks.
According to CQ.com reporter Alex Wayne the veto threat has lead three key Republican Senators Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, Orrin G. Hatch of Utah and Pat Roberts of Kansas to push back in a letter sent to the administration on Wednesday
“What the administration needs to understand is that if a bipartisan plan isn’t achieved, then the Democratic-controlled Congress will, at the very least, extend the current program with all the terrible policy provisions that have evolved, such as waivers for childless adults and coverage for higher-income kids.”Fox News says Bush's people now deny that they have ever said the President will veto the reauthorization bill although he reserves the right to veto in the event the program is greatly expanded.
In a battle between ideology and political reality, political reality wins again.
