Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, has signaled that a vote on a bill to codify same-sex marriage will happen before the midterm elections.

Speaking with reporters, Schumer said that the vote “will happen on the Senate floor in the coming weeks.”

“We all want to pass this quickly,” Schumer said on Wednesday. “Our two leading members on this issue, Sen. [Tammy] Baldwin and [Kyrtsten] Sinema, are working with Republicans to see if there are enough votes to pass the bill. But let me be clear, a vote will happen. A vote on marriage equality will happen on the Senate floor in the coming weeks and I hope there will be 10 Republicans to support it.”

The Respect for Marriage Act cleared the House in July with the support of 47 Republicans. It would codify the Supreme Court's 2015 ruling in Obergefell that struck down laws and constitutional amendments that defined marriage as a heterosexual union, ushering in nationwide marriage equality.

Schumer said that the legislation was “necessary” to protect marriage equality after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

“Let’s remember why a vote on the Respect for Marriage is necessary,” Schumer said. “Millions upon millions of American women had their right taken away by the extremist MAGA Supreme Court in the Dobbs decision. And in a concurring opinion, Justice Thomas opened the door to the Supreme Court going even further. The MAGA Republicans are taking over the Republican Party and they’ve made it abundantly clear they’re not satisfied with repealing Roe. So when some Republicans say, ‘Oh, a vote’s unnecessary, it won’t happen,’ they said the same thing about Roe and here’s where we are.”

Schumer also poured cold water on reports that the legislation could be added to a must-pass budget measure.

“We would prefer to do it as a separate bill,” he said. “We hope there are 10 Republicans to help us with that.”

Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, on his podcast strongly hinted that he would vote against the bill.

“This bill without a religious liberty protection would have massive consequences across our country, weaponizing the Biden administration to go and target universities, K-12 schools, social service organizations, churches and strip them all of their tax-exempt status,” Cruz claimed.

Four Senate Republicans have signaled their support for the bill, including Susan Collins of Maine; Rob Portman of Ohio; Thom Tillis of North Carolina; and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. Johnson's support, however, has been weak, with the senator recently calling for an amendment for religious accommodations.

Democrats have said that such an amendment might be included in the final bill.