Republicans react to WH support of equal rights and it’s probably just the beginning of their regular anti-gay election jihad:
(WaPo) — House Republicans voted Wednesday night to bar the Justice Department from using any federal funds to oppose the Defense of Marriage Act. They added the prohibitions to an appropriations measure. The Obama administration last year said it would no longer defend the federal law that bans the recognition of same-sex marriage because it considers the legislation unconstitutional.
Also Wednesday night, the House Armed Services Committee voted to bar gay and lesbian service members from getting married or holding “marriage-like” ceremonies at military facilities.
Question: Would it be possible for private citizens to provide the funds for the Justice Dept. to do whatever — and so take away congress’s power of the purse in this respect?
I imagine the point irrelevant in practice here, but I’m curious whether it would be possible in principle. (Could we privately fund the shutting down of Gitmo, for instance?)
How does one bar funds to oppose something? Does it cost money to oppose legislation? Can’t you just, y’know, stay home?
Physicalist @1:
It probably won’t make any difference in this case, as the challenge to the law is being funded by private organizations. All this House measure would do (assuming it passes the Senate) would bar the Justice Department from offering them any assistance, such as filing an amicus brief in support of their effort.
I’m not certain …I think this was passed in that form by the house, but that that stuff usually either gets dropped in the final bill — if they really want the final bill to pass as it’s usually about somehting completely unrelated.