[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 50 (Monday, December 17, 2007)]
[Pages 1584-1585]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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 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.

[[Page 1585]]

    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.