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| Bush veto for child health bill | |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| US President George W Bush has vetoed a bill to expand a children's health care insurance scheme, after it was passed with a large majority in the Senate. | US President George W Bush has vetoed a bill to expand a children's health care insurance scheme, after it was passed with a large majority in the Senate. |
| Mr Bush argues it takes the programme beyond its original purpose of insuring children from low-income families. | Mr Bush argues it takes the programme beyond its original purpose of insuring children from low-income families. |
| The vetoed bill proposed higher tobacco taxes to provide an extra $35bn (£17bn) to insure some 10 million children. | The vetoed bill proposed higher tobacco taxes to provide an extra $35bn (£17bn) to insure some 10 million children. |
| Children's health insurance is set to be a campaign issue in next year's elections, analysts say. | Children's health insurance is set to be a campaign issue in next year's elections, analysts say. |
| Eighteen Republican senators joined Democrats last week in passing the legislation by a 67-29 vote. | Eighteen Republican senators joined Democrats last week in passing the legislation by a 67-29 vote. |
| But the House of Representatives, which approved the bill by 265-159, was well short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto. | But the House of Representatives, which approved the bill by 265-159, was well short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto. |
| It is only the fourth time Mr Bush has used his veto power in the course of his presidency. | |
| Democrats | |
| Mr Bush had said he wanted only a $5bn increase in funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Programme (SCHIP). | |
| The State Children's Health Insurance Programme (SCHIP) currently subsidises health care for some 6.6 million people, most of them children. |