Same-sex marriage bill picks up more Senate GOP support - POLITICO

Those fears could inactive travel true, arsenic different Republican senators declined successful interviews Tuesday to accidental however they would vote, adjacent arsenic proponents of the measure support they’re optimistic.

Retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) said: “We’ll find retired tomorrow.” And Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) suggested she was person to a determination but wants to talk much with her staff.

“I’ve talked a small spot with folks connected some sides of the issue,” Ernst said. “I’ve told everybody, I’m conscionable keeping an unfastened mind.”

The full GOP whip number going into the same-sex matrimony ballot is six, with Blunt, Romney and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) confirming they would enactment the bill. Democrats request astatine slightest 10 Republicans to flooded a filibuster.

Blunt (R-Mo.), who is retiring, said successful his connection that the measure preserves matrimony protections careless of which authorities an idiosyncratic lives successful and “enhances the spiritual state for each Americans by protecting spiritual organizations from retaliation by national agencies owed to their views connected marriage.”

Meanwhile, overmuch of GOP senators’ absorption this week has been connected Wednesday’s enactment elections, wherever Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell volition look a situation from Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) amid vexation implicit the 2022 predetermination results.

While the House passed its same-sex matrimony bill successful July with enactment from astir 50 House Republicans, the process successful the Senate has taken much clip amid GOP concerns astir spiritual liberty. If the Senate does walk its version, the authorities volition request different ballot of support from the House to caput to President Joe Biden’s desk. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) are starring the Senate propulsion and released the substance of their amendment to support spiritual liberty connected Monday.

Tillis said he’s successful a “confident place” erstwhile asked if helium thought they’d get the indispensable GOP backing, citing caller endorsements of the legislation.

“Don’t instrumentality that distant and accidental I deliberation it’s successful the bag, I mean we’ll beryllium having discussions each the mode up to the question to proceed to vote,” Tillis said. “I deliberation that if we’re palmy successful the Senate, that we volition prime up votes connected the House side.”

However, 1 Republican adjacent to the talks, granted anonymity to talk frankly astir the ballot count, said portion determination were much than 5 GOP senators who would backmost the bill, determination were “not many” much who would. That Republican was not afloat assured the measure would flooded a filibuster.

The Senate measure would guarantee that the national authorities admit a same-sex matrimony if it was valid successful the authorities it took spot and mates moved to a authorities that does not admit it. That would besides use to interracial marriage. It besides would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act signed successful 1996, which defined matrimony arsenic betwixt 1 antheral and 1 pistillate nether national laws.

The bipartisan amendment clarifies that the measure would permission intact protections from a 1993 spiritual state law, which outlaws placing a important load connected people’s quality to workout their religion. In addition, it states that nonprofit spiritual groups would not person to execute matrimony services and that the measure would not interaction their taxation treatment.

Among the groups that announced enactment for the measure are the National Association of Manufacturers and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which said it “includes due spiritual state protections portion respecting the instrumentality and preserving the rights of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.”

While the Supreme Court enshrined same-sex matrimony into instrumentality successful 2015, proponents of the measure are acrophobic that precedent could yet beryllium overturned, citing Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring sentiment successful the Dobbs decision that questioned different ineligible rights and pointed specifically to same-sex marriage.

During his level remarks Tuesday, Schumer said that the “Senate tin destruct the hazard of LGBTQ Americans having their rights curtailed if we enactment present to codify matrimony protections into law.”

Wednesday’s ballot to determination guardant connected the measure marks the archetypal clip since 2013 that the enclosure has taken up standalone authorities connected LGBTQ rights.

Other GOP senators who played coy connected the measure were Sens. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, retiring Richard Burr of North Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. McConnell besides hasn’t indicated however he’d vote.

Republican opponents to protecting same-sex matrimony rights reason that it’s unnecessary, saying the Supreme Court is improbable to reverse its 2015 ruling. And contempt the propulsion by immoderate GOP senators connected Schumer to hold the vote, others criticized the timing.

“It doesn’t look similar a mode wherever voters would really person a mode to clasp their senators accountable, if you’re going to hold until aft the predetermination and bash it successful the lame duck,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). “It doesn’t look precise good.”

The Senate is expected to proceed to the House-passed measure Wednesday and past regenerate it with the Senate mentation that includes the spiritual liberty amendment. The bill’s supporters privation to spot it walk arsenic soon arsenic this week. That, however, would necessitate an statement from each 100 senators to let it to determination much quickly.