Democrats and children's advocates both in Ohio and nationally have launched an initiative targeting the 159 mostly Republican U.S. House members that voted against expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Meanwhile, conservatives lauded President George W. Bush's veto of the bill that would increase SCHIP spending by $35 billion through a 61-cent per pack increase on the federal tobacco tax. They are urging the Congressmen that voted against the measure to hold their ground.

Hanging in the balance is an additional $93.8 million that Ohio would receive in fiscal year 2008 to cover an estimated 20,000 additional children, according to the Ohio House Democratic Caucus. The funding would support the state's plan included in the biennial budget (HB 119) to increase eligibility for children from families earning between 200% and 300% of the federal poverty level.

Although the measure passed by a veto-proof majority in the U.S. Senate, SCHIP proponents have their work cut out for them, as they are 25 votes short of the 290 necessary in the U.S. House to override President Bush's veto.

A coalition including the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, SEIU, MoveOn.org, Americans United for Change, USAction, TrueMajority and other groups said they are launching a national multi-million dollar paid media and field campaign to convince enough members of the U.S. House to reverse course. (

ProgressOhio said protesters in the state would target their efforts on Reps. John Boehner (R-West Chester) and Steve Chabot (R-Cincinnati) along with U.S. Sen. George Voinovich (R-Cleveland) who had voted against the SCHIP authorization.

In Ohio, both House and Senate Democratic leadership announced their intention this week to introduce resolutions that would urge Congress to override the president's veto.

"The trust is there on both sides of the aisle that this will work," House Minority Leader Joyce Beatty (D-Columbus) said in a statement. "It's just not fair to the thousands of children in Ohio and millions across the country who would benefit from this program to let this veto stand."

Without the increased federal funding Ohio may face a $6.8 million budget shortfall in FY 2008 and a $98.6 million deficit the following year, according to Sen. John Boccieri (D-New Middletown). "It is imperative that Congress overturn this veto to ensure that all our nation's children have accessible and affordable health care."

Lauding President Bush's opposition, the Buckeye Institute said the veto would prevent "the type of fiscal irresponsibility" the General Assembly and Gov. Ted Strickland displayed by expanding SCHIP "before waiting to see if the federal government would pay the bill."

"Policymakers should look for ways to expand private health insurance options, not wasteful and ineffective government programs," the institute's health care policy analyst Marc Kilmer said in a statement. "The lessons of the fiscal and family damage wrought by the Great Society programs should not be forgotten."