Republicans Talk a Good Game on SCHIP, but Will It Matter?
The need for a viable alternative
By Bluey Posted in Congress — Comments (8) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Senate Republican leaders Mitch McConnell and Trent Lott are planning to unveil a SCHIP bill today that will look and sound familiar. That's because it's the one McConnell and Lott peddled earlier this year. It flopped then and it's likely to flop now. So why waste the time?
In the aftermath of President Bush's veto of the $35-billion expansion of SCHIP yesterday, congressional Republicans talked a good game, but now that it's time to act, Senate GOP leaders appear hesitant to embrace an alternative that would have a realistic chance of bringing lawmakers to the table to negotiate.
For months, such a plan didn't exist. The one offered by McConnell and Lott is basically an extension of SCHIP as it currently exists with a few other changes. It may have sailed through in a Republican-controlled Congress but stands no chance of passing today. By offering their bill again, McConnell and Lott have chosen to stick their heads in the sand and pretend SCHIP will just go away. At a time when Republicans should be looking for ways to bring their own into the fold -- namely Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) -- their leadership is showing no effort to do so.
What's so sad is that after months without a viable alternative, Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) has legislation to fill that void. Martinez's plan offers tax credits to families who fall between 200% and 300% of the federal poverty level. It's a way to satisfy concerns from conservatives about government-run health care and it appeases liberals who want to make sure more families get help for health insurance.
Although McConnell and Lott have decided to ignore it, House Republicans appear headed in the opposite direction. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.), ranking member on the Energy & Commerce Committee, is working on the plan with Martinez. When I asked Minority Leader John Boehner about it yesterday, he was familiar with the details of the plan and suggested Republicans could move in that direction.
I've had a briefing on the Martinez bill, and clearly something like that is of interest to us. And as we get through the next several days of this fight, there may be further steps that we'll take.
If Republicans stand any shot of prevailing in the fight over SCHIP, they need to have a viable alternative. The Martinez plan appears to be their best bet.
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Republicans Talk a Good Game on SCHIP, but Will It Matter? 8 Comments (0 topical, 8 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
If the President's veto is not sustained by the Republican party, then isn't it going to be very hard to campaign for Republican majorities, given that Republicans were a valued and essential aid in passing a major Democratic expansion of government?
About the only silver lining I can find is that the 'divided government' argument will have been thrashed, shredded, and hopefully never will be brought up again.
For six years the GOP controlled everything and wimped out on making any real change, like reforming Social Security, school vouchers, immigration, and estate taxes. I have no idea why. Afraid to upset Democrats? Worried about Liberal's feelings?
Now we face the real possibility that Democrats will control Congress AND the White House in 2009. Do you really think that if the Democrats control it all that they will work with Republicans? Do you think they will worry about hurting Conservative's feelings?
We're all already in trouble.
The Democrats are clever, they are not pushing to hard on many of their main initiatives now because they are simply stalling till election and in the meantime they are putting up no-brainer issues like SCHIP that the public overwhelmingly supports and they'll drag this out to beat it over the heads of Republicans in the next election cycle.
Once they control Congress and the Presidency then they will pass EVERYTHING.
Rather then engage in a political fight, the intellectual move is to put forward Martinez's proposal. Tax credits used in the manner suggested here will provide relief to those on the margin in a way their accustomed to. It also removes the Democrats grotesque move towards socialized medicine and ridiculous cigarette funding gymnastics; surely a tax increase waiting to happen. My only concern would be a further expansion of the tax credit to higher incomes.
McConnell should show some leadership here and work with Martinez, et al to get this done. It does the right thing; our primary objective. However, it also removes the whiney lie that Republican's don't like children.
"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori"
Contributor to The Minority Report
forgive him for what he's done at the RNC, but if he's willing to lead the fight for tax credits instead of socialized medicine, sign me up. I thought Lott should have gone home when Republicans lost the Senate during the Clinton administration, and I still think so. Maybe now even more so.
My problem is with the piss poor response of the Administration. Bush gets up and says it won't cover the most needy without saying the states have not used the SChip money they have to cover poor children but other people.
This is being framed the wrong way.
Republicans are in favor of insuring children in poverty. Democrats insist on insuring 24 years olds and children not in poverty and if they don't get their way...screw the kids in poverty.
Never forget, David Souter was nominated by President George H.W. Bush
to end this little nightmare and put this issue behind us for now - not to mention blunting the sharpened sticks the Dems are poking us with now in swing districts. And here I thought Martinez (and Barton, for that matter)had exhausted any and all usefullness...git 'er dun, Joe and Mel -
Be nice or i'll slap you cross-eyed!
- Granny