Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on President Biden signing the Respect for Marriage Act:

“I’m excited that President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act, removing the shameful Defense of Marriage Act from the books and guaranteeing federal protections for all legal marriages.

“I first introduced this bill in 2011 to require the federal government to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages. In the decade since, the Supreme Court made same-sex marriages legal in its Obergefell ruling and public support for same-sex marriages has risen to 70 percent.

“However, this bill became necessary again after the conservative Supreme Court majority struck down one longstanding precedent, Roe v. Wade, and indicated a willingness to look at similarly decided cases, like the Obergefell decision.

“Thanks to bipartisan votes in the House and Senate, and the president’s signature, same-sex and interracial marriages will remain the law regardless of the court’s actions. I want to thank Senators Baldwin, Collins, Portman, Sinema and Tillis for their leadership in getting this bill passed.

“Today is a historic day. Marriage equality has been reaffirmed, giving families peace of mind knowing their marriages will be protected by federal law.”