Political Quotes

“I rise to discuss amendment No. 1494, which I believe would move our Nation one step closer toward finally securing equal protection under the law for veterans in the United States. I thank the other cosponsors of this amendment, Senators Leahy, Durbin, Brown, Hirono, Blumenthal, Baldwin, Schatz, Peters, Gillibrand, Markey, Whitehouse, Coons, Wyden, Franken, Murphy, Murray, and Boxer. This amendment would end the current prohibition on benefits for gay and lesbian veterans and their families who live in States that do not recognize same-sex marriage. My amendment is based on the Charlie Morgan Military Spouses Equal Treatment Act, which I was proud to reintroduce earlier this year. The bill is named for Charlie Morgan, a former soldier and chief warrant officer in the New Hampshire National Guard and the Kentucky National Guard. Charlie was a military veteran with a career spanning more than 30 years. I first met Charlie in 2011. She was on her way home from deployment in Kuwait, and she had just been diagnosed for a second time with breast cancer. Concerned for her wife Karen and their young daughter's well-being, Charlie became an outspoken critic of the Defense of Marriage Act, which at the time prohibited her spouse and child from receiving the benefits that she had earned during her service. Sadly, Charlie did not live to see the Supreme Court overturn the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013.…”