Political Quotes

“Mr. President, 3 weeks ago, the Senate held an important vote on an amendment to the budget resolution, and 56 of our colleagues, including 11 Republicans, joined me in affirming the need for legislation to ensure that all legally married spouses, including gay couples, have access to Social Security and VA benefits that their families have earned. This amendment passed with bipartisan support because it is fundamentally about fairness. Imagine a veteran who served his country for decades fighting for equality and freedom around the world and he gets married in a State that allows gay marriage. If he is permanently disabled from his service, his spouse is eligible for veterans' spousal benefits. They have earned these benefits. But if they move or if they drive over the border from Florida into Georgia, for example, they lose those benefits. The same scenario applies to our seniors and their right to Social Security spousal benefits. Why does this happen? Simply because the Federal right to these benefits happens to be defined in law with respect to the State of residence rather than the State of celebration of the marriage. In other words, eligibility for these Federal benefits is based on where you live, not where you were married. So we have one Federal right and two unequal outcomes based on the person's residence. This is the definition of unequal treatment under the law.…”