Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) today criticized the announcement by the Obama Administration that it will stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act, the federal law recognizing marriage as between a man and a woman.
"I am severely disappointed in the Obama Administration's judgment and would strongly urge the President to reconsider this reversal in policy," Johanns said. "This law has been implemented and defended under two previous Administrations, so the notion that it has somehow become unconstitutional overnight is nothing more than a political calculation. Constitutional determinations should never be based on politics. The Defense of Marriage Act passed both houses of Congress overwhelmingly 15 years ago, was signed by a Democrat President, and should be defended by this Administration. I stand with the vast majority of Nebraskans who have consistently voted in favor of traditional marriage."
The Defense of Marriage Act was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996. It passed in the Senate by a vote of 85-14 and the House of Representatives by a vote of 342-67.