Providing for Consideration of H.R. 3313, Marriage Protection Act of 2004

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3313, MARRIAGE PROTECTION ACT OF 2004 -- (House of Representatives - July 22, 2004)

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 734 and ask for its immediate consideration.

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Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, oil prices at $40 a barrel, nearly 1,000 young American men and women dead in Iraq, 6,000 wounded.

What are we debating here on the floor of Congress? We are taking up a bill to strip the Federal courts of the power to hear cases challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. Apparently, the Republican Congress is so concerned that a gay or lesbian couple might someday have their marriage in one State recognized in another that they are prepared to take the extreme measure of preventing judges from interpreting the law.

While every other American will continue to enjoy the checks and balances that come from three branches of government, the Republicans have decided that if you are gay you should be able to get along with just two branches of government. Why are they doing this?

Conservative activist Paul Weyrich shed some light on the current thinking in Republican circles which explains why this bill is really on the floor today. Here is what Mr. Weyrich had to say: "The President has bet the farm on Iraq. Right or wrong, he has done it. Even if you disagree with the decision, you have to admire the President for putting it on the line and staying the course despite overwhelmingly bad news for months now.

"Therefore, Iraq will be an unavoidable topic of discussion in this campaign. The problem is that events in Iraq are out of the control of the President."

Mr. Weyrich writes, "There is only one alternative to this situation: Change the subject." He dismisses the option of taking up oil prices or the economy. Apparently, even he does not think those are winners for the President.

"No," he concludes, "what I have in mind to change the subject is a winner for the President. The Federal Marriage Amendment." The gay marriage issue, he gleefully advises, "will cause Senator Kerry no end of problems."

So that is what it is really all about. Republican leaders in Washington are running scared. They look at the polls on Iraq, on the economy, on jobs and they fear that the voters are going do rise up in November, and as a result they bring an unconstitutional act out on the floor that will strip gays and lesbians of their rights to be able to go to the Federal courts.

Vote "no" on this bill. It is a disgrace against the United States Constitution.