House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has
criticized House Republicans for not disclosing boosting spending to
defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law which bans
federal agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and
lesbian couples.
According to CQ
Roll Call, Republicans raised the cap twice from its original
maximum of $500,000. On September 29, 2011 the cap was raised to
$1.5 million. A second increase to $2 million was authorized a year
later, on September 28.
After the Department of Justice
announced it would no longer defend the law in court, House Speaker
John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, directed the so-called
Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) to step in. BLAG hired former
Solicitor General Paul Clement to argue the cases.
The Supreme Court earlier this month
agreed to hear one of those DOMA cases, Windsor
v. United States.
(Related: Supreme
Court to hear gay marriage-related Prop 8, DOMA cases.)
In a statement released Thursday,
Pelosi blasted House Republicans for “wasting taxpayer dollars to
defend the indefensible Defense of Marriage Act.”
“Hiding this contract from voters in
the midst of an election season was a cynical move at best, and a
betrayal of the public trust at worst,” she said. “Republicans
should not be spending $2 million to defend discrimination in our
country.”