The State Children's Health Insurance Program, or S-CHIP, is actually a federally funded program that provides health benefits for children of low income families. Funding for the program expires at the end of this month. Both the House and Senate have approved reauthorizing and expanding the program, but President Bush has said he'll veto the measure. Senator Brown says the ten year-old program has worked, has widespread support, and that the president should let it go forward.
Sherrod Brown: Every group out there, all kinds of religious groups, children's advocates, good government groups, all kinds of people are supporting this and the president says it costs too much. And he doesn't like the whole idea of government taking care of these children. Well, I wish private insurance would take care of them, but they're not. And somebody's got too, and government needs to step up.
Brown says, first, lawmakers will try to over-ride a veto but they are prepared to pass a more modest proposal... one the president would sign. They may also have to try to enact a stopgap measure to keep S-CHIP funding from drying up on October first.
Bill Rice, 90.3.