November 29, 2022 |
After facing some backlash at home because of a vote in Washington earlier this month, Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis announced that she will support Utah Senator Mike Lee’s religious liberty amendment to the gay marriage bill. Lummis was among 12 Republicans who voted with Democrats earlier this month to advance the bill.
Lee’s amendment is designed to prevent the federal government from targeting or retaliating any person or group for adhering to traditional religious beliefs and moral convictions about marriage.
The Respect for Marriage Act, which passed the House in July, openly threatens civil action from the Department of Justice and others for violating its provisions.
Two organizations in Wyoming, the state GOP and the Wyoming Pastors Network appealed to Lummis to reverse her support of the bill. Both groups expressed concerns about the threat to religious liberties and traditional Christian values Respect for Marriage Act poses.
Lummis is the second Republican senator who voted for the controversial gay marriage bill but have since said they will support Sen. Lee’s religious liberty amendment. Dan Sullivan of Alaska is the other Republican senator who voted to advance the Respect for Marriage Act and is now working to see that Sen. Lee’s amendment is included.
By their vote earlier this month, Lummis and the other 11 Republicans gave their Democrat colleagues the power to limit floor debate and prevent a filibuster. The bill is on track for a cloture vote this week. Cloture is a parliamentary procedure that cuts off debate.
Senator Lee told the Daily Signal, a publication produced by The Heritage Foundation, that “Any Republican who supports my amendment should oppose cloture unless the amendment is adopted.”
According to the report in the Daily Signal, Sen. Lummis’ staff declined to indicate how she will vote on cloture if the Lee amendment is not adopted.
Conservative faith leaders say the same-sex marriage bill will usher in an era of government persecution of individuals, churches and religious organizations without specific language protecting traditional beliefs.
