On the recordDecember 8, 2022
I thank the chair for yielding and for his leadership. The founding document of this country, the Declaration of Independence, reads: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equally, entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those words were eloquent in their articulation and complete in their application. As the great Barbara Jordan once pointed out, initially they didn't apply to enslaved Africans or women, Native Americans, poor people of every race, and certainly it didn't apply to the LGBTQ+ community. But through a process of constitutional amendment ratification, court decision, and legislation, those words have increasingly been brought to life as we journey toward a more perfect union. That is the work that is being done today with the Respect for Marriage Act, particularly because of a radical, right-wing, reckless, and regressive Supreme Court majority that threatens freedom and marriage equality. Madam Speaker, that is why I urge my colleagues to support the Respect for Marriage Act. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Craig). The time of the gentleman has expired.
