The White House was on the defensive Wednesday over extending limited federal benefits to domestic partners of federal employees, including same-sex couples.
President Barack Obama issued a memorandum prohibiting discrimination against federal employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identification, and clarified certain benefits for domestic partners.
“It’s a day that marks a historic step towards the changes we seek, but I think we all have to acknowledge this is only one step,” Obama said in an Oval Office signing event.
The president’s action opens federal long-term care insurance to unmarried domestic partners of federal workers, gay and straight, and gives workers sick leave to tend to a domestic partner. It does not offer the health, retirement or survivor benefits extended to married couples.
The move comes days after the administration stunned gay supporters with a Justice Department brief supporting the Defense of Marriage Act — a measure Obama has promised to repeal. John Berry, director of the Office of Personnel Management and the administration’s highest-ranking openly gay appointee, and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs both denied the action on domestic partner benefits was an attempt to mollify gays and lesbians — a key Democratic constituency that has grown increasingly critical of Obama.
The president reiterated that stance Wednesday, calling the law defining marriage as between a man and woman “discriminatory” and vowed to work with Congress to repeal it, and to extend full federal benefits to same-sex domestic partners.
“I would like to see the president begin to speak out more forcefully on these issues,” said Peter Rosenstein, a prominent gay rights activist in Washington. “While I recognize and the community recognizes the other crucial issues facing the nation, I would like to see him speak out on issues directly impacting human rights and equality of the [gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender] community.”
The move also drew fire from conservatives, who complained the president was misusing federal resources to placate a political constituency and elevate the status of partnerships that come short of legal marriage.
“Marriage provides unique benefits to individuals, families and society that cannot be replicated by any other living arrangements,” said Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America. “Federal funds should not be a political tool to elevate partner arrangements to be treated similar to marriage.” The White House touted the measure as a major step toward equal rights for lesbians and gays, but conceded that the benefits covered by the memorandum were already in practice for many federal workers.
The White House so far has been reluctant to reopen culture war fights that could imperil Obama’s ambitious agenda on the economy, health care, energy and more.
Berry said Obama supported repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military, and backed passage of the hate crimes bill and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act — but lacked the votes in Congress to move forward on all but the hate crimes bill.
The president opposes gay marriage, but supports civil unions.
