On July 19, 2006, George W. Bush used his veto power for the first time in his presidency to trump a Senate vote which sought to extend federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research. His veto was widely expected, as he had made it quite clear in a 2001 statement that his preference was to largely restrict the scientific research. So how did Charlottesville’s federal representatives fare in this moral showdown? To pass in the Senate, many Republicans had to jump ship, with normally staunch Bush allies like Orrin Hatch and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist parting ways with the president.
Virginia’s delegation provided an odd twist, as both senators reversed earlier positions. While Warner had commended Bush in 2001 for his policy of limited embryonic stem-cell research, he voted in favor of the Senate bill, saying that “subsequent years of experience in this area have demonstrated that the administration’s policy should be expanded.” George Allen, on the other hand, had earlier invoked language remarkably similar to the passed bill, but when it came time to vote withdrew his support, basing his reversal “on the advancement of science and studying the issue.”
Over in the House, an attempt to override the veto predictably failed, with Rep. Virgil Goode backing the President. In May 2005, Goode voted against a house bill that mirrored the Senate’s. In a statement, the Charlottesville Congressman said that, while nearly everyone in Congress supports embryonic stem-cell research, there are disagreements about federal funding for the programs. He added that, if embryonic stem-cell research is as great as certain drug companies and speculators claim, “then I think that they should use their own money, and not taxpayer money.”
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