Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today to reintroduce the Respect for Marriage Act. Today is an historic day. The Supreme Court issued two decisions that are major victories for the cause of equality for same-sex couples in this nation. In United States v. Windsor, the Court struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, which denies the federal benefits and obligations of marriage to legally married same-sex couples. I was one of 14 members of this body to vote against DOMA in 1996, and I am pleased a major part of the law has been declared unconstitutional. In Hollingsworth v. Perry, the Court left in place a trial court injunction finding Proposition 8 unconstitutional--which will bring marriage equality back to my home State of California. I am thrilled by these decisions, which will mean a great deal for same-sex couples in California and across the Nation. Our work, however, is not done. It remains critical that Congress act to fully repeal DOMA. That is what the Respect for Marriage Act will do. This legislation is cosponsored by 40 members of the Senate--Senators Baldwin, Baucus, Bennet, Blumenthal, Boxer, Brown, Cantwell, Cardin, Carper, Casey, Coons, Cowan, Durbin, Franken, Gillibrand, Harkin, Heinrich, Hirono, Kaine, King, Klobuchar, Leahy, Levin, McCaskill, Menendez, Merkley, Mikulski, Murphy, Murray, Reed, Sanders, Schatz, Schumer, Shaheen, Stabenow, Mark Udall, Tom Udall, Warren, Whitehouse, and Wyden.…”