Political Quotes

“This is the final amendment to the bill. It will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended. The motion to recommit that I offer today is simple, straightforward, and long overdue. The amendment is a technical correction to update our Nation's laws to reflect the realities of the day by eliminating outdated, discriminatory language that is currently found in the U.S. Code. Over a year ago, the Supreme Court ruled definitively on the question of equal protection for all citizens under the law. Their decision in Obergefell v. Hodges struck down discriminatory laws that defined marriage and made marriage equality the law of the land. Following that decision, the Veterans Administration issued guidance to ensure that all legally married veterans and their spouses would have access to the full range of Federal benefits that they earned through their military service. Yet, title 38 of the U.S. Code, which governs the VA, still reflects decades-old language that does not meet the constitutional reality of today. This is why I am offering the motion to remove the sex-specific definition of ``spouse'' found in the VA Code. Now, updating the U.S. Code is nothing new to this body. In 1986, Congress updated our Nation's laws to reflect the fact that not all veterans are men and not all veteran spouses are wives.…”