Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) lamented the passage of the “Respect for Marriage Act” without his religious liberty amendment Tuesday night, calling the move a “discouraging development in our country’s storied history of protecting the free exercise of religion.”
Lee said in a statement following the vote.
Despite the support of every voting Republican but one, and even a Democrat, the Respect for Marriage Act just passed without my amendment, which would have prevented the government from retaliating against religious individuals and institutions for their sincerely held religious beliefs regarding marriage.
This is a discouraging development in our country’s storied history of protecting the free exercise of religion. While I’m disappointed that my amendment was not included, I remain committed to preserving the religious liberties enshrined in our Constitution.
