President Obama to veto defense bill if it includes anti-LGBTQ provision
President Obama has said he will veto the 2017 defense authorization bill when it reaches his desk if Republicans insist on including an anti-LGBTQ “religious freedom” provision.
The White House has not officially announced the intent to veto the $600 million spending bill publicly, however senior administration officials at a White House meeting Monday told groups opposed to the provision that they have delivered that message privately to key lawmakers “in unequivocal terms,” reports Roll Call. White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough is said to have reached out to members personally to make the administration’s stance clear.
The Russell Amendment, named after its sponsor Oklahoma Republican Steve Russell, has already passed the House. It would allow federal contractors to discriminate against the LGBTQ community provided they claim they are doing so out of a strongly held religious belief. This would goes against an executive order Obama signed prohibiting discrimination against workers by government contractors.
The Senate did not add the provision to its version of the bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), meaning there could be a standoff when congress meets after the presidential election in a lame-duck session where they will be under pressure to resolve differences between the chambers and get the bill to the president’s desk. The disagreement could result in a filibuster in the Senate.
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http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2016/10/president-obama-veto-defense-bill-includes-anti-lgbtq-provision/
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which allows "Christians" to force their religious beliefs on others.
