House Passes Stem Cell Bill in Defiance of President Bush

US Lawmakers Hand President Bush Defeat on Stem Cell Research (VOA News)

In a challenge to President Bush, the House of Representatives has approved legislation by a vote 238 to 194 to expand federal government funding for research using embryonic stem cells. House action came just days after a new advance in stem cell research in South Korea, which many lawmakers say underscores the need to intensify stem cell research in the United States.

The Senate is expected to pass similar legislation–or, more precisely, to also bury similar legislation in a giant bill. While President Bush opposes this, it is puzzling that this is construed as a “defeat,” since it falls well short of a veto-proof margin.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. bryan says:

    Yeah, the headline writer is clearly a bit vague on the concept of “defeat.” Now, if the house and senate actually passed this over the president’s veto, we’d have an issue.

  2. legion says:

    Well, it’s a ‘defeat’ in that it confirms that nobody, not even the Republicans, takes Bush’s veto threat seriously.

    I’d say ‘that’s gotta sting’, but I’m sure Bush doesn’t even realize the implication and/or Rove won’t let him find out…

  3. What I think is really funny is the spin being put on this already. Notice the absolute absence of what the South Korean researchers actually DID being mentioned in the article — perhaps because “cloning human embryos and stem cells” is far more explosive?