State congressmen split on failed override of SCHIP veto
U.S. Reps. Chip Pickering and Roger Wicker, both Republicans, and Democrat Gene Taylor voted against the override.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., voted for the override.
None of the four changed his position from the time the bill originally passed.
Thompson said today that failure of the veto override “squandered yet another opportunity to improve the lives of millions of low income children across this country, including 83,000 in Mississippi.”
“Gov. (Haley) Barbour and others who worked to defeat this bill approved by Congress should be ashamed. Today’s vote is indicative of the extent to which Republicans will go to cater to interests like insurance companies,” Thompson said in a news release.
Barbour said the funding formula would leave Mississippi’s fiscal 2008 federal allotment nearly $100 million short to cover all the children who would be eligible for the program.
Hattiesburg American
10/19/7
Magnolia Tribune
