Trent Lott: “I will not take much of the Senate's time to express my strong support for the Defense of Marriage Act this morning. It…”

“I will not take much of the Senate's time to express my strong support for the Defense of Marriage Act this morning. It has already been discussed in earlier debate, and I am sure it is going to be supported eloquently by speeches later on today from Senator Nickles of Oklahoma and others on both sides of the aisle. I expect the outcome in the Senate will be lopsided when the vote is taken, as it was in the House, which passed the Defense of Marriage Act, as it is popularly called, by a vote of 342 to 67. Judging from the calls and letters and comments I received when I was home during the August district work period--from all across the country, though--it is clear to me that this bill enjoys tremendous support among the American people. President Clinton has promised to sign it into law. His Department of Justice has affirmed its position that H.R. 3396 'would be sustained as constitutional if challenged in courts.' This is not prejudiced legislation. It is not mean-spirited or exclusionary. It is a preemptive measure to make sure that a handful of judges, in a single State, cannot impose an agenda upon the entire Nation. The Defense of Marriage Act is not an attack upon anyone. It is, rather, a response to an attack upon the institution of marriage itself.”