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WASHINGTON — Albuquerque's two Republican members of Congress are urging new discussion and small changes to a bill expanding federal aid for children's health insurance after most House Republicans backed President Bush's veto of the measure.

Rep. Heather Wilson, one of 44 Republicans who voted to override the veto, said at a news conference after the vote Thursday the modifications needed are "relatively modest."

The vote to override fell 13 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed. It failed 273-156. Two Democrats joined 154 Republicans to kill the measure.

The Senate will not vote on the override, but Sen. Pete Domenici and 17 other Republican senators who voted earlier for the bill sent a letter to House and Senate leaders asking for quick talks on a new bill for the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Domenici chided fellow Republicans for "misguided criticism" that the $35 billion expansion of the SCHIP violates fiscal discipline — it's paid for with a 61-cent-per-pack cigarette tax hike — or that it would shift children from private insurance to government coverage.

"I supported reauthorizing SCHIP because it will help children," the Albuquerque Republican said. "I am disappointed it has been poisoned by political rhetoric."

New Mexico officials estimated that the vetoed bill would have more than doubled SCHIP aid for the state, from $52 million to $116.5 million, and increase the number of children covered from about 19,000 to about 30,000.

Eligibility varies by family size and income, but for a family of three the income range would be $22,839 to $40,356 a year, state officials said.

Gov. Bill Richardson criticized the House Republicans who "chose to protect President Bush's misguided view, rather than protect the health of 10 million children nationwide. This president needs to stop playing politics with the lives and health of 20,000 New Mexico children and start supporting this bipartisan legislation, which is the highest health care priority for governors across the country."

One of the no votes came from Hobbs Republican Steve Pearce, who is opposing Wilson in the June 3 Republican primary for the nomination to succeed Domenici.

Pearce said he supports the program, but that the Democratic bill had loopholes that would allow upper-income children and adults to be covered.

"The program is intended to serve low-income children, and supporters of this bill need to explain why we aren't trying to cover poor kids first," said Pearce.

Rep. Tom Udall, a Santa Fe Democrat, voted for the override. He accused opponents of the bill of spreading "misinformation" that SCHIP would provide health care for wealthy families and illegal immigrants.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, a Silver City Democrat who helped craft the bill as a member of the Senate Finance Committee, said he was "extremely disappointed" by the failure of the veto override.

After the vote, Wilson was invited to meet with Senate Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, to talk about a new bill, but the meeting was rescheduled for Tuesday.

Wilson said Congress should try to reach a compromise with Bush, but she also suggested that the administration has little leverage because SCHIP supporters have a two-thirds vote in the Senate and are close to that in the House.

A new bill, she said, could strengthen provisions that would require states to cover the lowest-income children first and address the problem of families dropping their private insurance for government coverage.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said the House would consider another SCHIP bill in two weeks. She said Democrats would not compromise on funding the bill with a cigarette tax hike or increasing the number of children covered nationwide from 6 million to 10 million.

Bush spoked after the vote. "Now it's time to put politics aside and seek common ground to reauthorize this important program."

But other administration officials indicated a large gap remains between what Congress wants and what the White House will accept.