[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 191 (Thursday, December 8, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H8856]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  VOTING TO PROTECT MARRIAGE EQUALITY

  (Ms. LEE of California asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank this body 
for full support of, of course, H.R. 8404, the Respect for Marriage 
Act. I was so proud to support this bill.
  I thank my good friend and colleague Chairman Nadler for his 
leadership and   David Cicilline and Speaker Pelosi for bringing this 
important bill to the floor.
  Today, I voted to protect marriage equality across the country. 
Following the Supreme Court's shameful decision to overturn Roe v. 
Wade, rightwing extremists, who have been visibly organizing for 
decades to curtail hard-won rights, have set their sights on other 
freedoms.
  We cannot let Justice Clarence Thomas even consider overturning the 
constitutional right to marriage equality. What is coming next?
  Today, the bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act will enshrine marriage 
equality into Federal law.
  As one of the founding members of the Equality Caucus, along with my 
good friend Congressman Barney Frank, today, I am reminded of Martin 
Luther King's profound insight when he said that ``the arc of the moral 
universe is long, but it bends toward justice.''
  I thank all those who voted for this. This is a historic day, and we 
did the right thing. Thank God we are moving forward in this country.

                          ____________________