President Bush employed a rare use of his veto pen to reject a bill that would have greatly expanded health-insurance coverage for poor U.S. children, Fox News reported Oct. 3.

Bush vetoed the $35-billion expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), claiming the bill represented a step toward government-run health care. The bill has enough support in the U.S. Senate to support an override of the veto, but not in the House, where Minority Whip Roy Blunt said he was "absolutely confident" that he has the votes to defeat an override attempt.

Bush has vetoed just four pieces of legislation during his presidency. "The president is willing to look at [compromise] ideas with the focus on the original intent that the neediest children are taken care of first," said White House spokesperson Dana Perino. Bush has supported a $5-billion expansion of SCHIP.

The measure also included an addiction and mental-health parity provision that would have required SCHIP programs to cover these conditions on par with other ailments.