House Speaker John Boehner on Friday
criticized President Obama over his decision to no longer defend in
federal court the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law that
bans federal agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and
lesbian couples.
In March, Boehner appointed and led a
committee that instructed House counsel to defend the law in court
after the Obama administration announced it would no longer do so.
The president has said he believes the law is unconstitutional.
Speaking at the 2011 Values Voter
Summit in Washington D.C., Boehner chided the administration for
abandoning the law and reiterated that legal fees would be assessed
to the Department of Justice.
“If the Justice Department isn't
going to defend this act passed by Congress, then we will,” the
Ohio Republican said.
“We'll take away the money from the
Justice Department, who's supposed to enforce it, and we will,”
Boehner added.
Earlier in the week, Democrats
criticized House Republican leaders for authorizing up to $1.5
million to defend the law.
(Related: GOP
candidates urged to boycott anti-gay Values Voter Summit.)