Senators Delay Vote to Protect Same-Sex Marriage

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

59% : "Through bipartisan collaboration, we've crafted commonsense language that respects religious liberty and Americans' diverse beliefs, while upholding our view that marriage embodies the highest ideals of love, devotion, and family.
53% : A 2021 Gallup poll found that a record-breaking 70% of the U.S. population now supports same-sex marriage, including 83% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans.
53% : "The Respect for Marriage Act must be brought to a vote at the earliest possible moment - in the aftermath of Dobbs v. Jackson, it is clear there's a timely, urgent need to declare that the days of debate around marriage equality are over."
49% : Baldwin and the bill's GOP supporters have been involved in ongoing negotiations to secure the 10 Republican votes necessary to break a Senate filibuster and pass the legislation, which included drafting new language to include explicit references to religious liberty.
48% : On Thursday, a bipartisan coalition of Senators shepherding a bill to protect the right to same-sex and interracial marriage announced that the vote on the bill would be delayed -- hours before Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was expected to tee up the legislation for a vote early next week.
47% : LGBTQ advocates raised alarm that the decision could pave the way for the Supreme Court to overturn 2015's Obergefell v. Hodges -- which overrode DOMA and established a constitutional right to same-sex marriage -- something Justice Clarence Thomas' suggested he'd like to do in a concurring opinion in Dobbs.
47% : A poll released by the LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign on September 14 found that 64% of likely voters in congressional battleground states supported passing a bill codifying the right to same-sex marriage.
40% : But on September 8 he announced he would not support the legislation "in its current state" due to concerns over religious liberties.
39% : "Leader Schumer is extremely disappointed that there aren't 10 Republicans in the Senate willing to vote yes on marriage equality legislation at this time," Justin Goodman, a spokesperson for Schumer, said in a statement.
25% : On Thursday, Johnson repeated he felt the law needed "very strong protections for religious liberty" but said he had not reviewed the new language circulated by Baldwin's camp.

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