Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to seek a vote on a marriage equality bill “in coming weeks” whether or not there is enough Republican support to pass it.
(Bloomberg) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to seek a vote on a marriage equality bill “in coming weeks” whether or not there is enough Republican support to pass it.
“Let me be clear: A vote will happen,” Schumer said of the legislation at a news conference Wednesday. “I hope there will be 10 Republicans who support it.”
The bill’s supporters want it passed as stand-alone legislation rather attaching it to a must-pass government funding bill that needs to be finished by the end of the month. But moving forward would require 60 votes in the 50-50 Senate.
Senators Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona are taking the lead for Democrats in trying to round up Republican votes, Schumer said. Several GOP senators have already publicly expressed support, but more are needed. The legislation passed the House in July on a bipartisan 267-157 vote.
Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins, one of the bill’s Senate co-sponsors, said backers are making headway in winning GOP votes.
“I’m never confident until the roll is called but we’re making good progress,” she said. “There’s a lot of sincere interest.”
The legislation would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage for federal purposes as between a man and a woman and was subsequently struck down by the Supreme Court. It would give federal recognition to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages and require interstate recognition of marriages. States could still refuse to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples.
‘Religious Liberty’
One of the issues raised by some Republicans is whether the legislation would conflict with religious beliefs. Other GOP lawmakers contend that changing the law isn’t necessary.
“I never felt this bill was necessary,” said Wisconsin GOP Senator Ron Johnson, who said he supports civil unions. “This is just Democrats opening up a wound that doesn’t need to be opened up. And now that I’ve talked to people there are some very serious concerns on religious liberty.”
Republican Thom Tillis of North Carolina said changes were being worked on to address “a lot of religious freedom questions.”
Baldwin said she wanted a commitment for a vote as soon as possible in part to help pin senators down on their positions.
“There’s a lot of folks who simply take things under advisement and hope that it never comes up for a vote,” she said. “So we really do need that certainty, and I’d like to see this come up sooner rather than later.”
The legislation grew out of concerns that the current conservative-leaning Supreme Court could overturn the 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that established the right of same-sex couples to marry. After it overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision establishing a constitutional right to abortion, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion that the court should review other “due process precedents”, including the ruling in Obergefell.
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