CQ TODAY - HEALTH

By Libby George, CQ Staff

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After a fiery reprise of arguments that have played out repeatedly over the years, the House cleared legislation Thursday that would expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

Cleared by a vote of 247-176, the bill (S 5) would lift some restrictions on funding that President Bush put in place on Aug. 9, 2001. It would allow research funding on stem cells from surplus embryos discarded by fertility clinics.

Bush, who is traveling in Europe this week, plans to veto the measure after he returns June 11, just as he vetoed similar legislation last summer.

The Senate, which passed the bill, 63-34, on April 11, will take the first shot at overriding the veto. After accounting for absentees in the last vote - which occurred before the death of bill opponent Craig Thomas, R-Wyo. - supporters calculated that they were one vote short of an override.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Thursday that a Senate override vote "would allow members of the House to follow suit" but added that he will not schedule a vote before Thomas' successor is named.

"We're going to move as quickly as we can . . . but I will say right now, we're not going to take advantage of Sen. Thomas' death," Reid said.

Keeping Up the Pressure

Even if the Senate garnered the votes, it is clear that House backers of the bill do not have the two-thirds majority vote needed to override the veto. They are, however, determined to keep pushing until the measure becomes law - a goal that almost certainly will not be reached under this president.

"I hope and pray that the president will think differently this time about whether to sign the bill," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., adding that "in the meantime, I think the American people will express their will."

During Thursday's floor debate, bill opponents pounced on news reports this week that scientists have reprogrammed adult mouse skin cells back to an embryonic state. If that experiment could be replicated successfully in humans, it offers the potential of bypassing controversial research on stem cells extracted from embryos.

"Science is resolving dilemmas and solving ethical problems," said Michael C. Burgess, R-Texas. "Here we have a stem cell that was created from a single cell without destroying an embryo . . . and not a single committee hearing to discuss how this science has advanced."

Bush, too, alluded to the news reports as he renewed his veto threat in a statement issued soon after the House vote. "Recent scientific developments have reinforced my conviction that stem cell science can progress in ethical ways," he said. "Researchers have been investigating innovative techniques that could allow doctors and scientists to produce stem cells just as versatile as those derived from human embryos, but without harming life."

Reid countered that scientists are just "treading water" with the new developments, and House supporters scoffed at the notion that the new research might change supporters' minds about the bill.

"We picked up two votes," said stem cell advocate Diana DeGette, D-Colo., after taking into account absentees. "I'm always glad to see new advances, but members of Congress are starting to see that new advances are no substitute for stem cell research."

Republicans offered a motion to commit the measure with instructions to amend it - a tool they have successfully used multiple times this year to change or stall legislation - but it was defeated, 180-242.

While groups backing embryonic stem cell research have campaigned furiously to persuade Sen. John E. Sununu, R-N.H. - whom they perceive to be vulnerable in the 2008 election - to change his position and support an override, he has refused.

House supporters face an even greater challenge. A 253-174 vote in January on an earlier version of the bill (HR 3) was 32 votes shy of a two-thirds majority. If DeGette's estimate is correct, they are now about 30 votes short. DeGette and others are confident they will wear down the opposition.

Critics of embryonic stem cell research liken it to abortion because embryos are destroyed, but polls show strong public support. Advocates see potential for treatments of numerous disabling conditions, and some states have passed laws to spur embryonic stem cell research.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said it will make sure the issue comes back to haunt Republicans who oppose it, particularly those in districts with strong public support for the research.

"We'll continue to keep the heat on them in a variety of ways," said Doug Thornell, a DCCC spokesman. "It was a key issue in the last election, and it will continue to be a big issue."

First posted June 7, 2007 1:31 p.m.

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