House Passes Bill to Protect Same-Sex and Interracial Marriages
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Democrats say bill is needed after Supreme Court ruling striking down abortion rights
The 267-157 vote on the Respect for Marriage Act comes the same week the chamber is also set to vote on the Right to Contraception Act. Both pieces of legislation would enshrine into law rights not enumerated in the Constitution but that the court has recognized in recent decades. Senate Democrats haven’t said if they will schedule votes on the House bills.
With these votes, Democrats are challenging Republicans to line up behind rights favored by most Americans. On the marriage bill, 47 GOP lawmakers joined with all Democrats in support, while other Republicans dismissed it as a political stunt to protect rights that don’t need protecting.
Rep. Mike Johnson (R., La.) said that Democrats proposed the legislation so they could run ads in an election cycle. “This bill is just another superfluous exercise, this bill is completely unnecessary,” he said on the House floor.
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