House Speaker John Boehner, a
Republican from Ohio, has said the Republican-led House is likely to
defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
In
remarks to the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Boehner said
he was disappointed with President
Obama's decision to no longer defend the 1996 law that bans
federal agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and
lesbian couples.
“I'm really disappointed in the
president and the Department of Justice in the fact that they're not
going to defend a law that Congress passed overwhelmingly,” Boehner
told David Brody. “It's their responsibility to do that.”
“If the president won't lead, if the
president won't defend DOMA, then you'll see the House of
Representatives defend our actions in passing a bill that frankly
passed overwhelmingly.”
Boehner said House members are
considering a number of options, then added: “I'd be very surprised
if the House didn't decide that they were gong to defend the law.”
And he accused the president of
“pandering” to his gay and lesbian supporters.
“It strikes me as something that's
just as raw politics as anything I've seen, knowing that a lot of
people who believe in DOMA are probably not likely to vote for him
and pandering to the other side on this issue,” he said.