John Boehner

Mr. BOEHNER

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton), the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, for a unanimous-consent request. (Mr. BARTON of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The President today used the veto authority for the first time in his Presidency. Yesterday Congress sent him two bills relating to emerging medical research involving the use of so-called stem cells. Today the President signed one of those bills while vetoing a second. A third bill was supported by a majority of House Members last night, but did not capture the necessary two-thirds vote to be passed under the suspension of the rules. The bill signed into law by the President today is a positive step forward, and I remain hopeful that we can reconsider the other measure at some point in the future. Our colleagues, Roscoe Bartlett, Phil Gingrey, Nathan Deal, and Dave Weldon, deserve great credit for their hard work on these two measures. Their work brings new hope in the struggle to find cures that have eluded medical researchers for decades as they search for ways to defeat serious disease. The President's decision to veto the legislation offered by my friend from Delaware Mr. Castle should come as no surprise to anyone. More than a year ago President Bush warned the bill would take us across a critical ethical line by creating new incentives for the ongoing destruction of emerging human life. Crossing this line, the President said, would be a great mistake. As the President also noted a year ago, there really is no such thing as a ``spare embryo.'' Every man and woman in this Chamber began life as an embryo identical to those destroyed through the process known as embryonic stem cell research. The embryos at issue in this debate are fully capable of growing and being born as healthy babies with loving parents. The notion that embryonic stem cell research relies on ``spare embryos'' that have no value beyond the possibilities for medical research is tragically and deceptively wrong. Many opponents of the President's decision today are driven by a passion for the preservation of human life and the desire to see developments of cures to chronic diseases. I have great respect for their commitment to this goal, and I think it is a goal that we all share. The passion for the preservation of human life is incomplete if that passion does not extend to the most vulnerable form of human life. It is wrong to force Americans to allow their tax dollars to subsidize medical research that depends on this destruction of human embryos. The Congress sent the President a bill that would expand the use of Federal tax dollars for this practice, and the President rightly used his veto power to reject it. Because the vetoed bill originated in the House, the Constitution gives us the duty of receiving the President's veto message and initiating any legislative response. Having now been notified of the President's action, the House will now immediately consider the question of whether to override the President's veto, which would require a two-thirds vote, or to sustain it. For the reasons I have just articulated, I would urge my colleagues to join me in voting against the motion to override. No just society should condone the destruction of innocent life, even in the name of medical research. The President was right to veto this bill. It would be wrong for this House to overrule the President's decision by voting to override. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis).

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren).

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 15 seconds to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent).

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Kolbe).

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Schwarz).

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Bartlett). (Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk).

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon).

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey). (Mr. GINGREY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the sponsor of the underlying bill, the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle).

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Hart).

Mr. BOEHNER

Mr. BOEHNER. I thank my colleague for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Marriage Protection Amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Musgrave). Mr. Speaker, over the past few days some people have asked me, Why are we having this debate and this vote? I think this is an issue that the American people want their Representatives to debate and to vote on. And that is why it is part of the American Values Agenda that we released last month. It has been front-page news all across the country, sparking intense debate amongst our fellow citizens. Many people that we represent believe the Congress needs to act. While 45 of the 50 States have either a State constitutional amendment or a statute that preserves the current definition of marriage, left-wing activist judges and officials at the local levels have struck down State laws protecting marriage. The American people should decide this issue, not out-of-touch judges who are bent on redefining what marriage is for America's moms and dads. Poll after poll shows that the American people don't want marriage to be redefined by judges today and for our children tomorrow. And protecting the institution of marriage safeguards, I believe, the American family. Studies show that children best flourish when one mom and one dad are there to raise them. And 30 years of social science evidence confirms that children respond best when their mom or dad are married and live at home. And that is why marriage and family law has emphasized the importance of marriage as the foundation of family, addressing the needs of children in the most positive way. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to send a strong message to America's moms and dads rather than allowing judges to redefine marriage. I urge my colleagues to support the amendment.

Mr. BOEHNER

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Monday next for morning hour debate.

Mr. BOEHNER

Mr. BOEHNER. I thank my colleague for yielding. It is expected that the House would take up the other two stem cell bills, pass them, and send them with the Castle bill to the White House, and then be prepared to deal with whatever happens from there.

Mr. BOEHNER. Yes.

Mr. BOEHNER. As the gentleman is aware, this conference is being chaired by the Senate. There has been one formal conference meeting. But I can tell you there have been consultations with Members of both parties on both sides of the Capitol with regard to many of the issues that have been agreed to and issues that are yet to be resolved, and I fully expect those conversations will continue.

Mr. BOEHNER. I thank my colleague for yielding. There is that issue and other issues on the bill that are still being discussed. There has been no resolution on those. But I think I will anticipate the next question with regard to the minimum wage. I have had conversations with Members on both sides of the aisle about the issue. It is clearly under discussion, but there have been no decisions made as to what to do or when to do, whatever.

Mr. BOEHNER. Clearly, protecting the American people's pensions and ensuring that we get better funding of private pension plans is the goal of this legislation. I can tell the gentleman that I think we are very close. There is some progress. We are close. We have discussed this for months and months here. It is a very difficult bill, as you are well aware, and trying to make sure that there is balance, that we dot the I's and cross the T's, that process is under way. But I am hopeful.

Mr. BOEHNER. Probably.

Mr. BOEHNER. Yes. It could be Wednesday if you are a real optimist.

Mr. BOEHNER. I thank my colleague for yielding. Next week, Mr. Speaker, the House will convene on Monday at 12:30 for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. We will consider several measures under suspension of the rules. A final list of those bills will be sent to Members' offices later on this afternoon. On Tuesday, we expect to do House Joint Resolution 88, the marriage amendment. For the balance of the week, H.R. 2389, the pledge protection bill; H.R. 5684, the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act. We do expect that if the Senate acts on the Castle stem cell legislation and several other bills that could be brought over to the House, where the House would consider the other two stem cell bills, and send all three bills to the White House. And then, depending upon what happens at the White House, whether we would vote on a veto override or not is certainly under consideration. I do expect that we will have votes on Friday at this point. We will continue to work with Members on both sides of the aisle as the schedule develops. But the next two Fridays are scheduled. My hope is that we are able to finish our work, both next week and the following week, by Thursday night so that Members would not have to vote on Friday. But I cannot make that commitment at this point.

Mr. BOEHNER

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday next.