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DEL.ICIO.USJim Marshall, now the one and only
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rep. Jim Marshall of Macon, once known as a Democrat who voted against increased funding for SCHIP and Georgia’s PeachCare, now has the distinction of being the nation’s only Democratic congressman to vote against the $35 billion expansion of a program that provides health insurance to poor kids.
Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.), along with Marshall, had voted against an earlier version of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. But after Democrats made a few hasty changes to the bill and put it up for a vote Thursday, Taylor voted for it, leaving Marshall standing alone against a bill national Democrats hope to make into a major campaign issue next year.
“This bill is improved from the first one,” Marshall said in a statement after the vote. “It has a greater focus on needy children, but I still have concerns regarding fairness and funding.”
Marshall is against allowing adults and middle-class families to enroll in a program intended to help poor children. He also opposes raising tobacco taxes to pay for the major expansion, as the bill proposes.
Despite the bill’s easy passage in the House - it was approved 265 to 142 Thursday - President Bush said he will again veto the measure. Democrats won no new Republican votes with the modified bill and so still lack the two-thirds majority needed to override another veto. That left Marshall looking forward to the third attempt to reauthorize SCHIP through 2012.
“I hope the next version will be better than this one because I want to expand the program,” Marshall said.
Comments
By Ted
October 25, 2007 11:26 PM | Link to this
I know that a lot of people who get their information from the AJC would never read Dick Morris, but here is his report on the SCHIP proposal, it has been scaled back to senseable levels, to wit:
When Congress passed the newly expanded program for child health insurance State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) it contained serious flaws which prompted President Bush to veto the bill. The new version the Democrats appear ready to pass corrects many of those flaws and Bush should sign the bill.
The old bill allowed children living in families making up to four times the poverty level — about $80,000 to be covered. The new legislation drops the cap to three times the poverty level — about $60,000. The old measure included illegal immigrants. The new one doesn’t. The bill formerly covered childless adults. The new one excludes them. The new bill isn’t perfect. It should be more narrowly targeted and should exclude adults and focus only on children. But it’s pretty good.
Republicans like Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) are backing the bill. Enough Senate Republicans voted for it to override the Bush veto. But, the override fell short in the House. With the revised bill, the calculation is more dicey for the administration — so they should sign this bill and be done with this issue.
By kreedham
October 26, 2007 1:28 AM | Link to this
I’m amazed that no Repulicans voted for this bill. Marshall clearly voted against thinking it will help him to get reelected by being the Democrat that backed Bush the most. In the same vein I would think there are 10 or so congressmen that barely won last time that would think this might help them get reelected by voting for it.
I’ll give them credit…On most everything they hold together better than the Dems. Of course it will probably cost them more seats in 2008 by continuing to back Bush. There’s also a pretty good chance Marshall will be challenged in his own party.