House Votes On Effort To Override President Bush's Veto Of Child Health Care Expansion

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Democrats tried Thursday to revive a bill expanding a popular government health care program to 10 million children after President Bush vetoed it. <br/><br/>But when the roll call began,

Thursday, October 18th 2007, 8:20 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Democrats tried Thursday to revive a bill expanding a popular government health care program to 10 million children after President Bush vetoed it.

But when the roll call began, they appeared to be at least a dozen votes short of the two-thirds majority they needed in the House to override him.

The proposed $35 billion spending increase over five years for the State Children's Health Insurance Program would expand it from the 6.6 million people _ most of them children _ currently covered. The program now costs about $5 billion a year.

``These are the most vulnerable people in our society,'' Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., said of the children who would be added to the program.

Republicans said they support renewing the program. But they also said states should focus on poor children first and enroll at least 90 percent of those currently eligible before using federal funds to cover children in families with higher incomes.

Bush, anticipating that his veto will stand, has assigned three top advisers to try to negotiate a new deal with Congress after Thursday's vote. The current program expires Nov. 16.