Friday, Oct. 5, 2007 | 7:31 a.m.
WASHINGTON - Shortly after Nevada Rep. Dean Heller was elected , he talked about how the Republican Party had lost its way and needed to return to its conservative fiscal roots.
Heller has indeed veered right on a range of issues since he came to Washington in January. Perhaps nowhere is he staking his claim as a conservative more clearly than in this week's showdown over legislation to expand a popular children's health insurance program, known as SCHIP, that is paid for by the federal government and administered by the states.
Nevada's program offers health insurance to families whose incomes are too high to qualify for poverty programs, but who cannot afford to buy private insurance. About 30,000 children in Nevada are covered, and twice that many are thought to be eligible under the expanded proposal.
President Bush has proposed spending $1 billion more per year for five years, but because of rising costs, the program would actually cover fewer children. Congress wants to expand the program by $35 billion over the next five years so more children can be enrolled. The legislation proposes paying for the program by increasing taxes on cigarettes to $1 a pack, a 61-cent jump.
Heller voted against expanding the program this summer when it carried a $50 billion price tag, saying he came to Congress to "promote fiscal discipline."
He opposed it again when the scaled-down version won the support of dozens of cross over House Republicans last week, including Nevada Rep. Jon Porter, who initially opposed the bill.
Heller said Thursday he doesn't think Congress changed hands last fall because "people wanted more taxes, people wanted more government."
Heller's position is similar to that of his party's leadership, which has sought to return to fiscal conservatism as Republicans try to regain their footing after losing control of Congress in the 2006 elections.
But on this issue, public opinion polls show they are out of step. A Washington Post/ABC News poll this week showed that 72 percent of Americans - including a majority of Republicans - support the program's expansion.
After Bush vetoed the bill Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid warned that those "who didn't vote for this the first go-round better take another look," because the political fallout could be devastating.
Protesters demonstrated in communities across the nation Thursday, urging members of Congress to override the president. Backers of the bill say they need about 15 representatives to reverse their opposition if the House is to override the veto later this month. (In the Senate, leaders think they have enough votes to override.)
Reid said he would call his Republican friends in the House to ask them to help with the override. Asked whether he would call Heller, he said, "I think I will. Good idea."
But there is little expectation Heller will change his mind. He said he thinks he will be lobbied in the coming weeks but won't support the legislation unless the program is pared to its existing level. Heller said in August, " This Congress is seeking to create a massive and unnecessary federally funded health program."
Bloggers have targeted Heller. But that might help him among supporters back home.
Conservative activist Chuck Muth in Reno said Heller's stance will earn him favor with his conservative base. Heller's district is largely Republican and the congressman would likely face greater disapproval if he were to shift suddenly and vote to override Bush's veto.
Heller's greater threat, Muth said, would be a primary challenge from the right, as he faced last year.
"It's going to be very easy" for Heller to explain to voters in his district that he supported the program at its current levels, but not expanding it, Muth said.
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