WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- A top congressional Republican on Sunday criticized President Barack Obama 's expected decision to reverse the Bush administration 's limits on embryonic stem-cell research , calling it a distraction from the country 's economic slump . U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor also says the policy reversal could lead to embryo harvesting , which `` should n't be done . '' `` Why are we going and distracting ourselves from the economy ? This is job No . 1 . Let 's focus on what needs to be done , '' Rep. Eric Cantor , the Republican whip in the House of Representatives , told CNN 's `` State of the Union . '' Obama 's move , scheduled for Monday morning , is part of a broader effort to separate science and politics and `` restore scientific integrity in governmental decision-making , '' White House domestic policy adviser Melody Barnes said Sunday . The Bush administration 's 2001 policy bars federal funding for research on embryonic stem cells beyond the cell lines that existed at the time . Cantor , R-Virginia , has been among the leaders of GOP opposition to Obama 's economic policies . In a conference call with reporters , Barnes said funding research is also part of the administration 's plan to boost the plunging U.S. economy . `` Advances with regard to science and technology help advance our overall national goals around economic growth and job creation , '' she said , adding , `` I think anytime you make an effort to try and separate these pieces of the puzzle , you 're missing the entire picture . '' Because stem cells have the potential to turn into any organ or tissue cell in the body , research advocates say they could yield cures to debilitating conditions such as diabetes , Parkinson 's disease and spinal injuries . But because work on embryonic stem cells involves the destruction of human embryos , many conservatives supported the limits former President George Bush imposed by executive order in 2001 . `` Frankly , federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research can bring on embryo harvesting , perhaps even human cloning that occurs , '' Cantor said . `` We do n't want that . That should n't be done . That 's wrong . '' The Bush policy limited federal funding to work on 60 existing stem-cell lines , but only 21 of those have proven useful to researchers . Congress voted to roll back those limits in 2006 and 2007 , but Bush vetoed the legislation both times , leading to Democratic charges that he had put politics over science . Dr. Harold Varmus , president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and co-chairman of Obama 's science advisory council , said Sunday that Obama will `` endorse the notion that public policy must be guided by sound , scientific advice . '' Obama 's order will direct the National Institutes of Health to develop revised guidelines on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research within 120 days , said Varmus , who joined Barnes in the conference call with reporters . `` The president is , in effect , allowing federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research to the extent that it 's permitted by law -- that is , work with stem cells themselves , not the derivation of stem cells , '' he said . Supporters of the ban said researchers could still obtain private funding or explore alternatives such as adult stem cells . Opponents said the research could be carried out using embryos left over in fertility clinics , which otherwise would be discarded . Sen. Claire McCaskill , D-Missouri , told reporters that reversing the Bush ban would `` once again say to the rest of the world that we will be the beacon for cures and for hope . '' She credited her support for federal funding in part for her 2006 election . `` I think it 's a great moment , and I 'm proud of [ Obama ] for reversing that executive order , '' McCaskill said . Sen. Richard Shelby , R-Alabama , said the Bush policy imposed ethical limits on science . `` My basic tenet here is I do n't think we should create life to enhance life and to do research and so forth , '' Shelby said . `` I know that people argue there are other ways . I think we should continue our biomedical research everywhere we can , but we should have some ethics about it . '' CNN 's Elaine Quijano contributed to this report .
NEW : White House adviser : Move part of effort to separate politics , science . Bush-era policy on embryonic stem cell research to be reversed , officials say . President 's expected decision on stem cells distracting from economy , Cantor says . Rep. Cantor , R-Virginia , also says policy reversal could lead to embryo harvesting .