Rep. King Tries To Ban Marriages for Gay Couples On Military Bases

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) introduced an amendment on Thursday that would ban marriages for same-sex couples on any military facility and prohibit any military chaplain from performing ceremonies for gay couples.

The Iowa Republican argued that President Barack Obama and the Secretary of Defense were “contravening” the so-called "Defense of Marriage Ac"t by allowing military chaplains to perform marriages for same-sex couples on bases.

King said a directive from the Secretary of Defense that said “a military chaplain may officiate any private ceremony on or off a military installation” was “not just permission that’s implied encouragement to conduct same-sex marriages on our military bases conducted by our chaplains presumably who are all under the payroll of the U.S. government.”