Will GOP Revenge-Trash Marriage Equality Legislation over Tax and Climate Bill?

After months of thwarting fellow Democrats on a domestic spending bill that would, among other things, fight climate change and tackle health and prescription drug costs, Sen. Joe Manchin unexpectedly agreed to a compromise version of the bill earlier this week. Democrats are now working to finalize and pass the legislation.

But there might be a cost to that, and LGBTQ+ Americans would be the ones to pay it. Newsweek reported that in retaliation, the GOP might sink legislation intended to protect marriage rights for same-sex and interracial couples from a Supreme Court that has demonstrated its willingness to upend settled law. Some Court justices have signaled an interest in revisiting key rulings of the past.

"Collins told HuffPost Thursday [July 28] she faces an uphill battle to convince Republicans to sign on to the gay marriage bill after Democrats a day earlier revived a sweeping spending package that was previously abandoned," Newsweek recounted.

"A key moderate in the evenly divided Senate, the remarks from Collins signal that congressional Democrats face a delicate balancing act to pass both bills before the impending midterm elections."

Among the tax and climate change bill's provisions that Republicans find unpalatable, it would "raise taxes on some companies, boost IRS enforcement and spend the resulting money to fund anti-climate change efforts," HuffPost summarized.

Manchin's decision to support a version of that legislation might now make efforts to protect American families from the Supreme Court that much more difficult, if not impossible. Though the bill in question – the Respect for Marriage Act – overwhelmingly passed in the Democratic-majority House, and did so with bipartisan support, its chances in the Senate were already seen as uncertain. Lawmakers in the evenly divided Senate would need to secure yes votes from all 50 members of their own party along with support from at least 10 Republicans in order to pass the measure with a filibuster-proof majority.

This is not the first time Senate Republicans have proven willing to hold one bill hostage over the chances of another. As Newsweek recalled, "Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate's top Republican, previously threatened to block the CHIPS Act, a bipartisan bill to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign-made semiconductors, unless Democrats agreed to drop the domestic spending package."

But now that the CHIPS Act has been signed into law, and the domestic spending bill is back on the table, the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans, as well as other minorities, are imperiled once again.

Collins laid the blame at the feet of Democrats.

"After we just had worked together successfully on gun safety legislation, on the CHIPS bill, it was a very unfortunate move that destroys the many bipartisan efforts that are under way," she told HuffPost. Still, Collins vowed to "continue to work for support for the bill," Senate action on which is now likely to be delayed until autumn, if ever.

But even as GOP lawmakers might be poised to withhold support for the bill, anti-LGBTQ+ forces are already marshaling to oppose the Respect for Marriage Act, and resorting to time-tested – if hollow – rhetoric in their efforts.

"Among the conservative groups pushing Senate Republicans to oppose the bill are the Heritage Foundation and the Family Research Center, which have focused on arguments the bill would undermine religious freedom and result in the legalization of things like polygamy and child marriages," HuffPost noted.

Advocates for the protection of marriage rights note the essential fallacy of those claims.

"The idea that somehow this tramples on religious liberties is fundamentally false because it's not actually changing the status quo," HuffPost quoted HRC legal director Sarah Warbelow as saying.