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Biden’s transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg on Sunday lashed out at Republican Sen. Marco Rubio for having time to feud against Disney, while not backing a bill to codify same-sex marriage.
During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Buttigieg, who shares twins with his husband Chasten Buttigieg, was asked if he had any message to Senate Republicans, namely to Rubio, R-Fla., who remarked to a reporter that a vote to codify same-sex marriage was a “stupid waste of time.”
“If he’s got time to fight against Disney, I don’t know why he wouldn’t have time to help safeguard marriages like mine,” Buttigieg told CNN host Jake Tapper. “Look, this is really, really important to a lot of people. It’s certainly important to me.”
“I started my day as I try to do on weekends, I try to give Chasten a little bit of a break and do breakfast with both of our twins. And that alone, that’s no small thing as every parent of small kids knows,” Buttigieg said. “It was one of those days where the tray table wasn’t quite fitting into the highchair, and I’m trying to make sure that they’re busy enough with their little cereal puffs to give me enough time to chop up the banana and get the formula ready – and that half hour of my morning had me thinking about how much I depend on and count on my spouse every day.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg delivers remarks at the Plenary II: State of Black America: Combating the Threat to Civil Rights & Democracy during National Urban League Conference on July 22, 2022, in Washington, DC. ((Photo by Brian Stukes/Getty Images))
“And our marriage deserves to be treated equally,” he said. “And I don’t know why this would be hard for a senator or a congressman. I don’t understand how such a majority of House Republicans voted no on our marriage on as recently as Tuesday, hours after I was in a room with a lot of them talking about transportation policy, what I thought were perfectly normal conversations with many of them on that subject, only for them to go around the corner and say that my marriage doesn’t deserve to continue.”
“If they don’t want to spend a lot of time on this, they can vote yes and move on. And that would be really reassuring for a lot of families around America, including mine,” he added.
During a midterm election year, Democrats have been campaigning to codify federal protections for contraception and same-sex marriage after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
In his opinion overturning Roe last month, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the court should now review other precedents. He mentioned rulings that affirmed the rights of same-sex marriage in 2015, same-sex intimate relationships in 2003 and married couples’ use of contraceptives in 1965.
Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, speaks during the Republican Party of Florida 2022 Victory Dinner in Hollywood, Florida, on July 23, 2022. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The House voted Tuesday to codify federal protections for same-sex marriage, with 47 Republicans joining all Democrats in backing the measure. 157 Republicans voted no on the so-called “Respect for Marriage Act.”
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At least 10 Republicans will need to back the measure in the Senate to skirt the filibuster.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.