SCHIP: “cut a deal now or face a politically treacherous vote on the issue one month before next year’s elections”
It will be vetoed yet again because it is a bad bill. The program is not intened to cover illegals, adults, or middle class wage earners. The Democrats really look pathetic and desperate on this one though. This new bill has nothing to do with the children and everything to do with the fact that the Democrats have been called out on their absurd tactics. They have earned their reputation as a do-nothing Congress:
Democrats are considering giving Republicans a stark choice on the stalled children’s health bill – cut a deal now or face a politically treacherous vote on the issue one month before next year’s elections.
The SCHIP debate has been quiet publicly, but behind the scenes Democrats and Republicans have been negotiating for weeks. President Bush has already vetoed one SCHIP bill, and he has threatened to veto the latest version of the legislation, even though it has been modified to include firm income caps on eligibility and stronger language to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving the health benefits.
If there is no deal by mid-December to expand the program to 10 million lower income children, Democrats may just propose a temporary extension until Sept. 30, 2008, which would force a vote on a critical issue just before election, according to Democratic aides. Sept. 30 marks the end of the fiscal year, but the timing, of course, would make vulnerable Republicans either abandon their party and approve the bill or vote against a popular social program just before the election.
Michelle Malkin says Let ‘em do it. Looks like they learned nothing from liberal Oregon.
November 15, 2007 - 12:22 PM on November 15th, 2007
Time to dump the RINOs.