Santorum: Boehner Should Defend Marriage Ban

Former Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Rick Santorum, a likely candidate for president next year, hasn’t been shy about putting forth his conservative ideals. And he wants House Speaker John Boehner to do the same. Santorum is pressuring the speaker to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court after the Obama administration dropped its support of the law this week, The Hill reports.

DOMA allows states to ignore same-sex marriages and civil unions in other states. Santorum wrote on Twitter Friday.

Boehner didn’t condemn Obama's move outright, though his spokesman Michael Steel told TalkingPointsMemo: “While Americans want Washington to focus on creating jobs and cutting spending, the president will have to explain why he thinks now is the appropriate time to stir up a controversial issue that sharply divides the nation."