Bush Vetoes Bill Stopping Doctors' Medicare Cut

Bush Vetoes Bill Stopping Doctors' Medicare Cut

WASHINGTON — Congress on Tuesday rejected President Bush's veto of legislation protecting doctors from a 10.6 percent cut in their reimbursement rates when treating Medicare patients.

The override vote in the House was a lopsided 383-41, easily meeting the two-thirds threshold needed to nullify the president's veto. About an hour later, the Senate voted to override, 70-26.

Bush has vetoed bills nine times, and Congress has had the muscle to override him only on a water projects bill and twice on farm legislation.

Lawmakers were under pressure from doctors and the elderly patients they serve to void the rate cut, which kicked in on July 1. The cut is based on a formula that establishes lower reimbursement rates when Medicare spending levels exceed established targets.

The president said he supported rescinding the pay cut, but he objected to the way lawmakers would finance the plan, largely by reducing spending on private health plans serving the elderly and disabled.

"I support the primary objective of this legislation, to forestall reductions in physician payments," Bush said in a statement. "Yet taking choices away from seniors to pay physicians is wrong."

Bush Threatening To Veto Homeless Veterans Bill

Bush Threatening To Veto Homeless Veterans Bill

WASHINGTON — The House approved a homeless veterans housing bill overwhelmingly Wednesday, even though White House advisers warned they'd urge President Bush to veto it.

The bill sponsored by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, authorizes spending $200 million on housing and services for veterans, requires 20,000 rental vouchers a year for low-income housing for veterans and authorizes $1 million for grants to nonprofit groups to provide housing and services for veterans.

The bill, which passed 412-9, also creates a job in the Department of Housing and Urban Development for someone to coordinate with Veterans Affairs on homelessness and make regular reports to Congress on the issue.

The Senate version of the bill is sponsored by Democrat Barack Obama, the Illinois lawmaker who is the party's presumptive presidential nominee.

Bush's advisers said in a statement they oppose a wage provision in the bill that requires builders of veterans housing to pay employees prevailing wage. The advisers said that provision is the bill's major problem. Bush has long opposed any changes to the law that would either increase or decrease the number of employers subject to the prevailing wage requirements in the Davis-Bacon Act, the advisers said.

"For this reason, if the bill were presented to the president in its current form, his senior advisers would recommend he veto the bill," the White House said, adding that the bill also duplicates existing programs.

But Green said several bills have been passed by Congress with similar wage provisions. Among them is the farm bill which was vetoed by Bush, but Congress overrode the veto. Green asked whether Bush wants to "draw the line in the dirt when it comes to veterans."

Veterans Affairs this year reported the number of homeless veterans has dropped to about 154,000. But Green said more are living in poverty than should. About 57 percent of homeless veterans are African-American or Latino, he said.

The bill, he said, is "our opportunity to do something for those who have made it possible for us to live in the richest country in the world."

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the legislation would cost about $1.8 billion in the period from 2009-2013.

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Rep. Al Green's bill is H.R. 3329.

Bush gets his veto crayon out again

Bush gets his veto crayon out again
by Kagro X

Wed May 09, 2007 at 08:53:50 AM PDT

Having just freshly diapered the president with a new Iraq funding bill...
House Democrats plan to vote as soon as tomorrow on an Iraq war spending proposal that pays for military operations through late July.

Under the plan, Democrats would then seek a vote before the August recess on whether to withdraw or keep troops in the country.

Commander Guy needs a change yet again:
President Bush would veto a bill drafted by House Democratic leaders that would fund the Iraq war only into the summer months, his spokesman said Wednesday.

Dems think it's time for Bush to work towards some potty training:
House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) said he feels that Democrats have compromised, and that it’s now time for the White House to do the same. He said in an afternoon briefing yesterday that he intended to meet with White House officials on Capitol Hill later in the day.

"We’ve conceded on two major points," Obey said, referring to troop readiness standards and a firm timetable for withdrawal. "The White House has yet to concede on any."

But Bush prefers the "freedom" of unfettered relief.