President Bush issued a warning to Congress on Wednesday that he will veto budget appropriations for the District of Columbia unless the measure contains language barring the district from using any of the money for its domestic partner registry. The registry allows same and opposite-sex unmarried couples to register their relationships.
Three quarters of the District of Columbia’s budget comes from local revenue – city taxes and fees. But, about $120 million in additional funds comes from the federal government.
That money is contained in the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act.
Under Republicans the legislation stated that none of the federal money could be used to support the partner registry. When Democrats took control of Congress the requirement was removed.
In threatening a veto the White House on Wednesday issued a statement saying: “The Administration strongly opposes the bill’s exclusion of a longstanding provision that disallows the use of Federal funds to register unmarried, cohabitating couples in the District, to enable them to qualify for benefits on the same basis as legally married couples. Under Federal law, legal marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Federal tax dollars are not used to extend employment benefits to domestic partners of Federal employees, and D.C. should not enjoy an exception to this rule.”
The Domestic Partner registry includes such partner rights as hospital and nursing home visitations, medical decisions, and inheritance rights.
The District of Columbia established a local domestic partnership registry in 1992. However, the Republican congressional leadership routinely prevented the registry from being enacted until 2002.
Since that time, the Republican-led Congress have repeatedly attached anti-gay language to past appropriations bills which stipulate that federal funds cannot be used to operate the program. Since local funds are used, observers have noted that the provision was simply used as a way for Republicans to demonstrate their disapproval for the law and for same-sex families.
Fuck George Bush. May he die a slow, horrible, painful death from Parkinson’s disease. No one deserves it more than this Texas asshole. I will dance on his grave when that day happens.
Mr. Bush is racked with self-hatred. After all, this is a man who “received” more than 200 private visits from Jeff Gannon while wifey was out of town.
He’s the first “DL” president.
Bush is a pig. I loathe him and anxiously await his final day stinking up the Oval Office.
Bush hates everything and everyone. He is a complete disgrace as a human being. Is he human??
I disapprove of republican so let’s cut their finding.
As a D.C. resident, I want to scream every time I hear Bush and the Grand Obstructionist Party talk about democracy and freedom. We have no voting representation in Congress and Congress has final say over how we can spend our tax dollars.
The GOP and the 40 Democrats who voted with them get nothing by adding this hateful language to the D.C. Appropriations bill. Its just a gratuitous attack LGBT people and our families. Of course, you didn’t hear a peep out of Mary Cheney as her party was leading this effort.
I agree with every comment except one. I can imagine a gay person with such poor taste as to want to do THAT to Bush.
I wonder how Dick Cheney’s daughter feels?
Oh wait, laws don’t effect her. Her and her partner will never have to deal with being treated unequal even in discrimination is the law.