    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
    [December 12, 2007]
    [Pages 1541-1542]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message to the House of Representatives Returning Without Approval the
    ``Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007''
    December 12, 2007

    To the House of Representatives:
        I am returning herewith without my approval H.R. 3963, the
    ``Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007.''
    Like its predecessor, H.R. 976, this bill does not put poor children
    first and it moves our country's health care system in the wrong
    direction. Ultimately, our Nation's goal should be to move children who
    have no health insurance to private coverage--not to move children who
    already

    [[Page 1542]]

    have private health insurance to government coverage. As a result, I
    cannot sign this legislation.
        The purpose of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
    was to help low-income children whose families were struggling, but did
    not qualify for Medicaid, to get the health care coverage that they
    needed. My Administration strongly supports reauthorization of SCHIP.
    That is why in February of this year I proposed a 5-year reauthorization
    of SCHIP and a 20 percent increase in funding for the program.
        Some in the Congress have sought to spend more on SCHIP than my
    budget proposal. In response, I told the Congress that I was willing to
    work with its leadership to find any additional funds necessary to put
    poor children first, without raising taxes.
        The leadership in the Congress has refused to meet with my
    Administration's representatives. Although they claim to have made
    ``substantial changes'' to the legislation, H.R. 3963 is essentially
    identical to the legislation that I vetoed in October. The legislation
    would still shift SCHIP away from its original purpose by covering
    adults. It would still include coverage of many individuals with incomes
    higher than the median income in the United States. It would still
    result in government health care for approximately 2 million children
    who already have private health care coverage. The new bill, like the
    old bill, does not responsibly offset its new and unnecessary spending,
    and it still raises taxes on working Americans.
        Because the Congress has chosen to send me an essentially identical
    bill that has the same problems as the flawed bill I previously vetoed,
    I must veto this legislation, too. I continue to stand ready to work
    with the leaders of the Congress, on a bipartisan basis, to reauthorize
    the SCHIP program in a way that puts poor children first; moves adults
    out of a program meant for children; and does not abandon the bipartisan
    tradition that marked the original enactment of the SCHIP program. In
    the interim, I call on the Congress to extend funding under the current
    program to ensure no disruption of services to needy children.

                                                              George W. Bush

     The White House,

     December 12, 2007.