House Leadership Rises to DOMA’s Defense

The House of Representatives could appoint its own special counsel, among other options, to reaffirm the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) after the law’s recent abandonment by President Barack Obama’s Justice Department, The Caucus political blog of The New York Times reports.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia said the leadership will decide this week how to go about defending the 1996 law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Cantor affirmed comments that House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio made in a weekend interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network. Boehner told CBN that “you’ll see the House of Representatives defend our actions in passing a bill that frankly passed overwhelmingly.”

Boehner has said the House can maintain its focus on government spending and still tackle sensitive social issues.