The House worked Monday to establish payments for people injured by the smallpox vaccine, as the program was suspended in seven states amid questions about the vaccine's role in three heart attack deaths.

Democrats complained that the GOP-written compensation bill was not generous enough to persuade health-care workers and others to sign up for the vaccine, which carries rare but serious risks. Republicans were invoking special rules and needed a two-thirds majority to get their bill approved, and it was unclear if they would succeed.

Everyone involved in the government's smallpox program believes it imperative that Congress establishes a fund to pay compensation for those injured or killed by the vaccine. The number of people volunteering for the shot is well below what was expected, partly because of concerns that injured people won't be compensated for medical expenses, lost work time and other expenses.

The program also has suffered from questions about the relationship between the vaccine and heart problems after three people died of heart attacks after being inoculated. While experts suspect the vaccine is probably not to blame, seven states -- Arizona, California, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, New York and Vermont -- have suspended their programs during an investigation. An eighth state, Idaho, recommended that that local health districts temporarily suspend vaccinations.

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