voted 273 to 156 in support

House GOP protects Bush’s S-CHIP veto

October 18th, 2007

In September, the House passed the bipartisan expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) by a wide margin, 265 to 159. But in the wake of a Bush veto, would proponents have the votes to override?

Regrettably, no. Just moments ago, the House voted 273 to 156 in support of the bill. Supporters picked up eight additional votes over the last month, but came well short of the 289 votes needed to override. A total off 44 House Republicans broke party ranks to support the legislation, while two House Dems voted with the minority.

Here’s the key number to keep in mind: last month 45 House Republicans voted for his bill. Today, that number dropped to 44.