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Democrats Vow To Save Plan To Insure Children

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By HOPE YEN, The Associated Press

Published: October 15, 2007

WASHINGTON - House Democratic leaders said Sunday that they were working to gather votes to override a veto on a popular children's health program, but pledged to find a way to cover millions without insurance should their effort 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 Democrats were the ones who had shown unwillingness to compromise.

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 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.'

Hoyer, D-Md., declined to predict Thursday's vote.

'This is a defining moment for the Republican Party, in my opinion,' Hoyer said, before adding later: 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 earlier this month vetoed legislation that would increase spending for the 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 earlier House vote fell about two dozen votes short.

The program provides health insurance to children in families with incomes too great for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance.

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.

Pelosi spoke on ABC's 'This Week,' and Hoyer and Boehner appeared on 'Fox News Sunday.'

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