House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday
reiterated his opposition to gay marriage.
During an appearance on Fox Business,
Boehner reacted to the news that President
Barack Obama had announced his support for marriage equality.
“I have always believed that marriage
was between a man and a woman,” said Boehner, a Republican from
Ohio.
He went on to suggest the topic was a
distraction from the economy.
“Republicans here on Capitol Hill are
focused in on the economy,” he said. “The American people are
still asking the question, 'Where are the jobs?' And our focus is
going to continue to be on the economy like it has been for the last
year and a half.”
Boehner also refused to discuss whether
he supports a federal amendment banning gay marriage.
“I haven't really seen this proposal
[on a constitutional amendment],” he said. “All I know is that
this is a very controversial issue in our country, but most people
believe that marriage is a union of a man and woman.”
Despite his current insistence that the
issue is a distraction, Boehner last year directed the House
Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) to defend in court the Defense
of Marriage Act (DOMA), which bans federal agencies from recognizing
the legal marriages of gay couples, after the Obama administration
said it would no longer defend the law. BLAG has intervened in 12
DOMA cases so far.