By Adam Allington, Maria Hickey/KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – Missouri's two senators say President Bush made a mistake Wednesday in vetoing the State Children's Health Insurance Program, called S-CHIP
Congress is trying to increase funding for the program by $35 billion over the next five years.
Senator Kit Bond has supported S-CHIP since its creation in 1997.
"I'm very disappointed that the president has vetoed the S-Chip bill, it's a valuable safety net for needy children who don't have the means to purchase affordable health care," Bond said.
Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill called the president's veto fiscally irresponsible in a statement.
But while the Senate passed the program with enough senators to overturn a veto, the House is still 15 votes shy of the two-thirds majority needed.
St. Louis Republican Congressman Todd Akin and others who voted against the expansion of the insurance program aren't likely to change their opinions.
"Basically, what the bill does is it allows people who are children of illegal immigrants to get free medical insurance," Akin said.
Missouri Republican Congressmen Roy Blunt, Sam Graves, and Kenny Hulshof also voted against the increased funding.
Republican Representative Jo Ann Emerson voted for the plan, along with
Democratic Congressmen Russ Carnahan, William Lacy Clay, Ike Skelton, and Emanuel Cleaver.