Updated Nov 14, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Senate tees up vote on marriage equality bill

Sens. Rob Portman and Kyrsten Sinema during a hearing in Washington, D.C. — Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, right, speaks with Senator Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, during a hearing in Washington, D.C., US, on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday scheduled a Wednesday vote on a bill to codify the right to same-sex and interracial marriage after a group of senators announced a deal on changes to the legislation.

Driving the news: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), who's leading the effort on the Democratic side, told reporters that she believes the bill has the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster.

What they're saying: Baldwin and Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) issued a statement Monday saying they reached a deal on "commonsense" changes to the bill to protects religious freedom. The changes were first reported by Axios.

The new language "fully respects and protects Americans’ religious liberties and diverse beliefs, while leaving intact the core mission of the legislation to protect marriage equality," the statement said.
"We look forward to this legislation coming to the floor and are confident that this amendment has helped earn the broad, bipartisan support needed to pass our commonsense legislation into law.”
Baldwin told reporters at the Capitol on Monday, "I believe we will overcome [the] filibuster."

The intrigue: While 10 Senate Republicans would need to vote with all Democrats to break a filibuster, only a handful have come out publicly in support of the bill.

Axios reported in September that some Republicans who vote for the bill may not reveal their intentions before they actually vote.

Flashback: Almost 50 House Republicans joined Democrats in July to pass the bill, which would enshrine marriage equality into federal law. Collins and Baldwin, co-sponsored the legislation.

The big picture: The Respect for Marriage Act is part of Democrats' response to conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' signaling that rulings on marriage equality, LGBTQ+ rights and contraception could also be reconsidered after Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Several well-known Republicans have spoken out in favor of the legislation and urged the Senate to send it to President Biden's desk.

More from Axios:

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.

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Senate tees up vote on marriage equality bill

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