House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Monday praised the Supreme Court decision that will allow gay marriage to proceed for now in five states, calling the ruling “progress for all Americans,” but said Congress should go further.
Pelosi called on Congress to pass the “Respect for Marriage Act,” which would end the “Defense of Marriage Act,” a law that allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriage.
The Supreme Court last year struck down a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act that had allowed the federal government to deny benefits to same sex partners.
“We cannot rest until all LGBT Americans in every community, in every state can enjoy the benefits of full citizenship,” Pelosi said. “Congress must act to pass the Respect For Marriage Act to fully repeal the remainder of the deeply discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act and ensure that all families are fully recognized and honored — no matter where they live. Whether at home or in the workplace, the progress of equality will not be denied.”
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., introduced a companion bill to repeal DOMA in the Democratic-controlled Senate, but in both chambers, the bill has stalled at the committee level.
