At his press briefing today, White House spokesman Jay Carney said that the president “is proud” to support the “Respect for Marriage Act,” which, as Carney put it “would take the Defense of Marriage Act off the books once and for all.”
As Carney reminded reporters, the president has “long called for a legislative appeal for the so-called Defense of Marriage Act.”
Further, the president has refused to defend the law.
Speaker of the House John Boehner reacts:
This is another effort by the White House to take attention away from jobs and the president’s economic policies, which have been a failure. The Defense of Marriage Act is the law of the land, and the House will continue with its effort to ensure the constitutionality of the law is determined by the courts rather than by a unilateral action by the Obama Administration.
Tomorrow there will be a hearing on the “Respect for Marriage Act.” Ed Whelan will weigh in in defense of DOMA. You can read his testimony here.