Does anyone actually know by what authority Pres. Bush can limit, modify, mediate, or in any way directly affect the source of funding for scientific research e.g. stem cell studies? I would understand, of course, a statement that said he would veto any such legislation, etc. But where does the authority come from that he apparently wields, in which he says HE will limit funding? Is this a unilateral executive directive? And how did it so quickly get translated into policy, since there seems to be a large amount of scrambling, repositioning, posturing, statements, claims, etc. as a result of his announcement.
The President has authority over all the executive Departments, several of which fund stem cell research. He can issue an executive order directing the agencies under his jurisdiction to not fund what he thinks is innapropriate.
Is this, in fact, what he has done?
Stem cell research would be funded by the National Institutes of Health, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, which reports directly to the President.
All Bush has to do is tell Secretary Tommy Thompson that he wants no money spent on “X” by HHS and his actions are put into practice.
As I understand it, the President’s decision has no direct bearing on privately-funded research, only on research funded by the federal government.
That is true. If Bush wanted to outlaw privately funded stem cell research in the U.S., Congress would have to pass a law enabling him to do so or make such research a crime.
His power is a little more that that. He can prohibit federal agencies from funding any program done at an institution which does not comply with his stem cell plan. Since most of these institutions get federal funding for something, they must either comply or lose there existing funding. ote that I don’t know if he did this, or just prohibited direct funding.
This process is similar to how Congress gets states to pass laws on seat belts, speed limits, drinking age, etc by stopping federal highway funds for road construction in states that don’t comply with the wishes of Congress.
The above statement is not a hijack, but is intended to point out the Congress, not the President, has ultimate spending authority. Congress controls the budget and tells the President how much each department can spend can spend. Congress can prohibit, or specify, funding for specific items. If they don’t do either, then the President controls how it is spent within the limits set by Congress. So Congress can over rule the Presidents stem cell plan whenever they want to.