Tim Craig reports in The Washington Post today that Republicans in Congress are using all their juice to block health-care reform, so telling consenting adults they can't get married in the District isn't on their agenda:
In an interview, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said she had received assurances from House Democratic leaders that she doesn't need to worry about congressional intervention.
"The House and Senate have their plates really full," Norton said. "I don't think this is anything that is going to somehow scramble over into that."
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who tried to derail a bill passed by the council this year recognizing same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, also expressed doubts that he or other Republicans could be major obstacles.
"Given the gravity of health care and other tumultuous debate, it hasn't got much attention," said Chaffetz, the ranking member of the House subcommittee that oversees the District. "You couple that with the Democrats' stranglehold on the rules, and the minority is left somewhat impotent."
With the D.C. Council poised to vote on a marriage-equality bill "before Christmas," and the District's human-rights law likely preventing marriage rights from being put to a majority vote in a citywide referendum, marriage equality in the District seems all but inevitable.
But if you're a regular reader of TAP, you knew all this months ago.
-- A. Serwer
