Correction: Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R) told a local news outlet that although he opposed the Respect for Marriage Act, he supports the LGBTQ community and will defend gay Americans’ right to get married. The quote was misattributed in an earlier version of this story.
Senators passed the Respect for Marriage Act on Tuesday, a landmark piece of legislation that protects same-sex and interracial marriages, placing the bill one step closer to becoming law.
The bill passed in a 61-36 vote with 49 Democrats and 12 Republicans voting in favor of the bill.
Lawmakers took up the bill after the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, fearing it would do the same to the 2015 piece of legislation, Obergefell v. Hodges, which granted the right to marriage to same-sex couples.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) arrives to the Capitol on Thursday, September 29, 2022.
Under the Respect for Marriage Act, all states are required to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages performed in another state, though it does not compel states to perform same-sex marriages.
The bill is now headed to the House where it is expected to be passed as early as next week and then signed into law by President Biden.
While the passage of the bill was seen as a win for bipartisanship, most Republicans cast their vote against the bill.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who has been outspoken against the bill, said in a statement Tuesday that it was setting the stage for the “Biden IRS to target people of faith.”
“The so-called Respect for Marriage Act is going to set the stage for the Biden IRS to target people of faith, and in particular, to deny tax-exempt status to churches, charities, universities, and K-12 schools,” Cruz said in the statement.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) introduces United States Ambassador to the United Nations nominee Linda Thomas-Greenfield during her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington.
“This bill creates a federal cause of action to sue institutions that believe marriage is the union of one man and one woman,” he added. “That’s what the Democrats want. And 12 Republicans went along with it.”
Both U.S. Senators from Tennessee voted against the legislation, with Sen. Bill Hagerty (R) claiming that the bill failed to protect religious liberties, according to The Tennessean.
Florida Sen. Rick Scott also justified his no vote by claiming the legislation did not balance the freedom to marry with religious freedom. The head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee added that although he voted against the bill, he supports the LGBTQ community and will fight against any attempt to take away same-sex couples’ ability to get married, according to a local Florida outlet.
Here are all the GOP Senators that voted against the Respect for Marriage Act:
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)
Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.)
Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.)
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.)
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.)
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.)
Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.)
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.)
Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa)
Sen. BIll Hagerty (R-Tenn.)
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)
Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.)
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.)
Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.)
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)
Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-La.)
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.)
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.)
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.)
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)
Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho)
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla/)
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.)
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.)
Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala/)
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.)
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.)
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)
—Updated Friday at 2:54 p.m.