President Bush vetoed legislation that would have expanded government-provided health insurance for children, his second slap-down of a bipartisan effort in Congress to dramatically increase funding for the popular program.
In an effort to avoid drawing attention, Bush waited until the deadline for acting on the bill and even then vetoed the bill in private.
In his veto statement, Bush said: "The leadership in the Congress has refused to meet with my administration." Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid quickly corrected the President by reminding reporters that Reid approached Bush to ask for negotiations during a ceremony for the Dalai Lama in mid-October (when the bill was first vetoed), and Bush declined, saying "I'm not moving [on this]-- go meet with my staff."
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