Congress Makes Efforts to Overturn President’s Veto on Stem Cell Research

October 12, 2007 – Congressional leaders are continuing their efforts to expand federally funded stem cell research. Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Subcommittee Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-PA) have included a provision in the Senate version of the FY 2008 Labor-HHS funding bill that would essentially overturn the President's veto of the S. 5 and make additional embryonic stem cell lines available for federal funding.

While S. 5 would have completely lifted President Bush’s restrictions on embryonic stem cell lines, the provision in the FY 2008 Labor-HHS funding bill changes the date at which these lines must have been created in order to be eligible to be used in federally funded research. The language inserted by Senators Harkin and Specter, the chief Senate sponsors of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, would allow federal research funding on stem cell lines derived before June 15, 2007; current Bush Administration policy allows for federal funds to only be used for research on embryonic stem cell lines derived prior to August 9, 2001. The Senate is set to begin consideration of the FY 2008 Labor HHS funding bill next week.

The language was not included in the House version of the FY 2008 Labor-HHS funding bill, however, and House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI) has indicated a reluctance to include this language in a final bill because of the President's existing veto threat due to funding increases.

Senate leaders have also indicated plans to attempt to override the President's veto of S. 5 at some point during the 110th Congress; however, it remains unclear whether or not the bill has the two-thirds majority support necessary to override the veto.

ASH encourages members visit the ASH Advocacy Center to contact their Senators to support the stem cell provision in the appropriations bill and to oppose any anti-stem cell and anti-research amendments introduced during the debate.

Additionally, ASH's policy in support of all avenues of stem cell research and the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISCCR) Guidelines for the Conduct of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research, which ASH has endorsed, are available online.