Democrats may have persuaded a dozen Republican senators to join them in forever redefining marriage.
But Florida’s senators were not among them.
Both GOP Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott voted against the Democrats’ Respect for Marriage Act, which codifies gay marriage in federal law and, like the Inflation Reduction Act, does the opposite of what its name indicates.
The bill would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which empowered states to reject same-sex unions, and neuter state governments in future attempts to defend marriages that are not between gay couples.
Rubio did not immediately comment on the vote. But he made it clear that he was against it long before Wednesday.
In July, he told CNN that action on this bill was a “stupid waste of time.” That same month, he also told the Fox affiliate in Tampa that arguing over same-sex marriage were a “fake problem.” “This is just not real,” Rubio said at the time. “It’s a fake problem. I don’t vote for fake problems. I don’t vote to solve problems that don’t exist. It’s important for the priorities of the people in Washington to be the priorities of the people that sent us there.”
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Scott, despite his vote, was more on board with his dozen colleagues who sided with Democrats than those who rejected the bill.
“I proudly support the gay community in Florida and across the nation and will aggressively fight any attempt to take away the ability for same-sex couples to marry and live their dreams in our great country,” Scott said.
“Unfortunately, the bill under consideration by the U.S. Senate does not adequately protect the religious liberties of all Americans, as guaranteed by the Constitution.”
Scott noted that Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee has offered an amendment that would “codify protections for same-sex marriage into law and maintain ironclad protections for religious liberty.”
“I strongly urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting Senator Lee’s amendment and working together to get this done the right way and with overwhelming support.”
President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill, since it passed the House in July, with the support of 47 Republicans, including Florida Reps. Kat Cammack, Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Gimenez, Brian Mast, Maria Elvira Salazar, and Michael Waltz.
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