Push for stem cell funds stalling on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON -- Eight months after Congress seemed on the verge of extending federal support to more types of stem cell research over the objections of President Bush, the bill's prospects are growing dim, with a crowded calendar and a changing political landscape threatening to push the issue off of the agenda until after this fall's congressional elections.

Supporters of more federal funding for embryonic stem cell research are planning a final push next month to bring a bill to the Senate floor, to force lawmakers to deal with the politically volatile but scientifically promising issue.

But the bill's prospects are cloudy at best. Senate majority leader Bill Frist, Republican of Tennessee, supports additional funding but has not reserved floor time for the bill, and, if it does come to the floor, conservatives are threatening to filibuster the effort to loosen the president's restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research.

''I think that the Democrats who have been taking the lead on this, and our Republican allies, have been very patient," said Representative Diana DeGette, Democrat of Colorado and a chief sponsor of the House legislation. ''But I think that patience is beginning to wear thin."

The bill's failure would be a setback for the growing number of Massachusetts firms that are experimenting with embryonic stem cells. Those firms would be in line for millions of dollars in new funding, and many have expressed frustration with federal rules that force them to strictly segregate the equipment and resources they use for experimentation on new lines of stem cells, which can't be supported with federal funds.

Supporters of the legislation in both parties had hoped to keep the debate -- already a highly emotional discussion that involves questions of when life begins -- focused on questions about the role of the government in funding research. Republicans are grappling with a division within their party over immigration, and do not want another intra-party fight over stem cell research.

But with contentious midterm election campaigns heating up, officials in both parties warn that stem cells may begin to impact congressional campaigns this year if the matter is not resolved soon.

While conservatives believe it would be foolish to bring up an issue that splits the party's base, moderate Republicans who support stem cell research say some centrist GOP incumbents could suffer if the bill languishes.

To cite one example, Senator Jim Talent of Missouri -- who has amended his position to favor some funding for stem cell research -- may be on the defensive if Republican leaders do not allow a vote on the issue on the Senate floor, said Sarah Chamberlain Resnick, executive director of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a centrist GOP group.

''If this does not get resolved, it's going to be used against him," Resnick said.

In August 2001, Bush issued an executive order limiting federally funded research on embryonic stem cells only to those stem cell lines that had already been developed from embryos. Scientists have complained that that leaves less than two dozen lines that are useful for researchers, potentially holding back breakthroughs in one of the most promising areas of science.

The House last May voted to allow funding for research on new lines of stem cells from embryos discarded by fertility clinics. Fifty Republicans joined with Democrats to pass the measure, despite Bush's veto threat.

Momentum quickly began building in the Senate, particularly after Frist, who is exploring a run for president, abruptly announced in July that he would support expanded research. The only question at the time was whether supporters could cut a deal with the White House to keep Bush from using his first-ever veto on a stem cell bill.

But a few weeks later, Hurricane Katrina hit, vastly reordering the legislative agenda. Since that time, the Senate has been consumed by a pair of Supreme Court nominations and a host of other business, and Frist -- who initially promised a vote on stem cells in early 2006 -- has seen his influence wane as he prepares for a 2008 presidential run.

Now, other pressing issues -- most notably immigration, which senators hope to take up when they return from a two-week break April 24 -- are likely to eat up most of the time left in the tight legislative calendar of an election year. Opponents of stem cell research said the Senate should not address the issue this year.

''When you look at the number of incredibly important issues the Senate has to deal with right now, it would be irresponsible for them to waste their time on that bill," said Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, a conservative group.

Advocates are pushing hard for a vote next month; a spokesman for Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah, said supporters of the measure hoped to get it added to May's ''health week" agenda. Proponents say they have between 54 and 66 votes in favor of the measure in the Senate -- enough for passage but probably short of the 67 votes needed to override a presidential veto.

''If we get a fair fight in the Senate, a fair vote, we will win," said Dan Perry, vice president of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research. ''A lot for Republicans, including Senator Frist, want to get this passed, get this out of the way, so they are not targeted during the fall as being antiscience."

Amy Call, a Frist spokeswoman, said Frist still considers the stem cell bill a priority. But she noted that the Senate's schedule has grown ''really tight," with weeks consumed by issues like the USA Patriot Act and lobbying reform, and plenty remaining on the Senate agenda before the summer recess begins July 31.

''We're trying to get a handle on the schedule again," Call said. ''The leader obviously feels that this is an issue that needs debate."

Frist has announced that the Senate will take up a number of major conservative priorities later in the year, including a permanent repeal of the estate tax and bans on gay marriage and flag burning. Congress is set to adjourn for the year in early October, to give members a chance to campaign for reelection.

Democrats say GOP leaders will be responsible if a stem cell bill doesn't come to the Senate floor. ''The Republican leadership in Congress has allowed ideology to trump science," said Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts.