On the House Floor
This week, despite my opposition, the House passed S. 5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which allows federal tax dollars to be spent to fund embryonic stem cell research where human embryos are destroyed.
Additionally, the House, with my support, passed H.R. 2446, the Afghanistan Freedom and Security Support Act, which builds on GOP initiatives enacted in the previous two congresses and reaffirms the commitment of the U.S. to support Afghanistan in its transition to a prosperous democratic state.
Turning a Blind Eye to Ethical Progress
I applaud President Bush’s clear indication to veto any legislation which will compel all American taxpayers to pay for research that relies on the intentional destruction of human embryos for the derivation of stem cells. The House has already demonstrated its ability to sustain that veto, as it did during the previous congress. Nevertheless, Democrat leaders used precious floor time this week to vote on S. 5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. Over the past six years, more than $130 million in taxpayer dollars has been devoted to human embryonic stem cell research consistent with the President’s policy. Overall, more than $3 billion has gone to innovative research on all forms of stem cells, contributing to proven medical treatments that use human stem cells from adult and other non-embryonic sources. This has produced medical breakthroughs such as the discovery of amniotic fluid stem cells, which can be easily retrieved from routine prenatal testing. According to scientists, these cells may be more useful to scientific innovation than embryonic stem cells. And just yesterday, three independent teams of scientists reported they have produced the equivalent of embryonic stem cells in mice by getting ordinary skin cells to behave like stem cells. At a time when this progress is being made through ethical means, and any legislation passed by congress will be met with a sustainable veto by the President, why do Democrats continue to bring this issue to the floor of the House? Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, called it “political theater,” and I can see no other cause. Despite these theatrics, I remain committed to supporting a strong investment in ethical medical research and opposing any effort to unnecessarily destroy human life.
Help Needed at the Pump
As gas prices in our country have reached an all-time high in real dollars, Democrats in congress are not doing anything to help American families find relief at the pump. In fact, the energy policies promoted by the new majority will make the problem even worse! Instead of focusing on increasing supply to bring down prices – a simple economic principle – Democrats have imposed billions of dollars in new taxes on energy producers (a cost that will be passed on to the consumer); Democrats have legislated anti-free market price controls that will suppress investment in domestic energy and limit supply; and Democrats are preparing to pass new fuel-efficiency mandates that could result in a loss of American jobs and choices for consumers in the automobile market. In contrast, the Republican House passed numerous bills during the previous congress to increase domestic production, provide tax incentives for the development of alternative fuels, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. As gas prices continue to rise, we must return to those policies which will reduce the cost of gasoline for American families now and in the future.
Broken Promises
“The new game that House Appropriations Chairman David Obey intends to play with budget earmarks this year is worse than the usual hide-and-seek. He is taking the whole thing underground, as though he is to be trusted as a one-man auditor for congressional pork. If this is to be the new ethic that Democrats promised, voters might want their ballots back.” – the St. Petersburg Times, discussing how Democrats have decided to withhold all congressional earmarks from being inserted in spending bills until after it is too late to challenge them.
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