The U.S. Capitol is seen at night in Washington, U.S., January 19, 2022. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
Washington: Aug, 01, 2014 (SDN/QJ) – The US Senate may delay a vote on protecting same-sex marriage until September, as Democrats push ahead with a $430 billion climate change bill. and drug pricing legislation, which could lose Republican support for the marriage measure. aides and advocates said Monday.
Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay member of Congress to work to advance the Respect for Marriage Act, now hopes the bill will come to the floor after lawmakers return from a weeks-long August recess.
Supporters of the bill are concerned that waiting could cause support to wane as opponents put pressure on fellow Republicans to oppose it, according to a source familiar with the Senate negotiations. The bill’s supporters plan to use the recess to consider tweaking some of its language to attract more Republican support.
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With the Senate split 50-50 and Democrats in charge thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote, the legislation will need the support of at least 10 Republicans to pass.
Gay marriage was once a hot-button issue in America’s culture wars and was widely opposed by Republicans.
But with the public now firmly behind gay marriage and Congressional control of the game in Nov. 8 in the midterm elections, Senate Republicans have shown signs of supporting the bill.
The bill passed the House of Representatives last month 267-157 with the support of 47 Republicans. Read more
Democrats saw the bill as a way to show their differences against Republicans as rising inflation and President Joe Biden’s declining job performance numbers threaten Democrats’ razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate.
Republican support could also help party candidates retain moderate voters in key swing states that may have been dampened by a U.S. Supreme Court decision last month that ended the nation’s constitutional right to vote. abortion.
Five Republicans have already announced their support for the bill. Republican Senator Susan Collins, who co-sponsored the bill, and Baldwin took the lead in seeking more Republican votes.
Five more Republicans have indicated they are leaning toward supporting the bill, Baldwin told PBS Wisconsin in a recent interview.
Tensions between Democrats and Republicans were heightened by last week’s introduction of a $430 billion spending bill, which some Republicans said could reduce the scope of bipartisan legislation.
Annie Clark, a spokeswoman for Collins, said that cooperation between the two parties on “critical issues is obviously very difficult.”
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Reporting by Rose Horowitch, additional reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell
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