"It is my strong personal belief that marriage is between a man and a woman.
"But principles of federalism dictate that the right and the responsibility to define marriage belong to the states. In addition, the proper role of the federal government is to ensure that each state can exercise that right and responsibility by preventing, as the Defense of Marriage Act does, one state from imposing its view on others.
"The amendment under consideration would potentially affect two types of relationships that are fundamental to our society. The first is the union between a man and a woman. The second is the compact between the states and the federal government. In our zeal to protect the former, we must not do unnecessary violence to the latter, as it is the bedrock of our country''s unique and highly successful federal system.
"We must also not overreact to the decision of a single court in a single state by rushing to amend the Constitution and stripping away from our states a power they have exercised, for the most part wisely, for more than 200 years.
"I join the majority of my colleagues in expressing strong support for the Defense of Marriage Act. As long as this Act is law, I see no reason to amend the US Constitution."
The motion to permit a vote on the bill dealing with a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage was defeated by a vote of 50-48.
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