Two Republicans Press for Including Gay Couples in Immigration Reform

When a bill that would help binational same-sex couples was reintroduced in this session of Congress, it again came with support from two Republican cosponsors. Representatives Richard Hanna of New York and Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania released statements praising the Uniting American Families Act and arguing it will help American business. Maine Republican Susan Collins is expected to repeat as cosponsor of the Senate version of the bill. If the legislation is included as part of an overarching immigration reform package — as President Obama has pressed for — then it would end the practice of splitting up binational couples because the federal government doesn't recognize their marriages. Some Republican lawmakers have said including gay couples in immigration reform could scuttle the entire effort, something Senate majority leader Harry Reid derided as excuse-making from his GOP colleagues. What Dent and Hanna have to say, though, might be more convincing to members of their party.