News lead: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), who is leading the effort on the Democratic side, told reporters she believes the bill has the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster. What they say: Baldwin and Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Thom Tillis (RN.C.) issued a statement Monday saying they had reached an agreement on the “joint” changes to the bill to protect religious freedom. The changes were first reported by Axios.
The new language “fully respects and protects the religious freedoms and diverse beliefs of Americans, while leaving intact the core mission of the legislation to protect marriage equality,” the statement said. “We look forward to this legislation, and we are confident that this amendment helped win the broad, bipartisan support needed to enact our common law.” Baldwin told reporters on Capitol Hill Monday: “I think we’re going to win [the] filibuster.”
The intrigue: While 10 Senate Republicans would need to vote with all Democrats to defeat a filibuster, only a few have publicly supported the bill.
Axios reported in September that some Republicans who vote for the bill may not reveal their intentions before actually voting.
Flashback: Nearly 50 House Republicans joined with Democrats in July to pass the bill, which would enshrine marriage equality in federal law. Collins and Baldwin, co-sponsored the legislation. The big picture: The Respect for Marriage Act is part of Democrats’ response to conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ signaling that rulings on marriage equality, LGBTQ+ rights and contraception could also be revisited after the reversal of Roe v. Wade. More from Axios: Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new details.
