Senior Senate Democrats are discussing the possibility of including gay rights legislation in a government funding bill, a Democratic source on Capitol Hill told Fox News Digital. Punchbowl News first reported the examination, which will add a hot political issue to the “continuing resolution” vote just weeks before November’s midterm elections. The deadline for exhausting government funding is September 30. It also comes as same-sex marriage is one of several stalled issues at the start of the Senate’s new work session, in which Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said judicial nominations are a top priority . He is committed to passing a bill to protect same-sex marriage, but no timetable. SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BILL, BUT BIG ISSUES SIT IN LIMBO AS SENATOR RETURNS FROM AUGUST BREAK Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has promised a vote on same-sex marriage in the Senate, but has not committed to a timetable. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) “We’re going to vote on marriage equality,” Schumer said at a news conference before the August recess. “I’m not giving you a time frame. We’ll be back in September. There’s a lot to do. And one of the big things we have to do is the judges. And, as you know, the appellate judges take 30 hours each. I just applied for two of them – do the first thing when we got back.’ Resolving the same-sex marriage issue in a continuing resolution could help Democrats address their time-crunch problem by condensing two of their agenda items into one. MANCHIN DEALS WITH SUMER TO ENDANGER OIL AND GAS DRILLING ENDANGERED BY FAR-LEFT DEMOCRATS It could also risk a funding showdown with Republicans. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, is one of the original co-sponsors of a Senate bill to protect gay rights. ((Bill Clark/Pool via AP)) A Senate Republican aide told Fox News Digital last week that they are confident there are 10 GOP votes for the same-sex marriage legislation — enough to clear the 60-vote threshold. GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Rob Portman of Ohio are the original co-sponsors of the chamber bill. But Democrats were already considering including the energy licensing reform legislation Schumer promised Sen. Joe Manchin, DW.Va., as part of the continuing resolution. Some Republicans, angered by the tax and social spending bill that Democrats passed in August, say they will vote against a funding bill that includes what Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called a “political repayment plan.” Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., last month threatened to kill a continuing resolution that would have allowed reforms Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., promised Sen. Joe Manchin, DW.Va., in return his vote for a tax and the social spending bill. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) How that momentum will play out in Senate votes is unclear. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Gay marriage became a major issue for Congress after Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in an opinion in the Supreme Court case that overturned Roe v. Wade that he believes the court’s precedent on marriage could also be flawed. No other justices joined that opinion, but the House of Representatives passed a bill to protect marriage equality in the states earlier this summer with significant bipartisan support. The effort has bipartisan support in the Senate as well, although debate continues over possible conscience protections for religious people that Republican senators would like included in any legislation. Tyler Olson covers politics for Fox News Digital. He can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @TylerOlson1791.
