DOMA supporters still have friends in Washington

Introduction

Supporters of the Defense of Marriage Act — parts of which the U.S. Supreme Court today deemed unconstitutional — still have allies on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., for one, has already said that he plans to introduce a constitutional amendment later this week to restore the 1996 law that defined marriage as between one man and one woman.

A staunch conservative, Huelskamp has also already this year received the legal maximum of $10,000 from the political action committee of Citizens United, which filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court supporting DOMA. The brief argued that “homosexuals are neither politically powerless nor singled out by law for discriminatory treatment.”

Huelskamp is one of 19 beneficiaries of Citizens United’s PAC during the year’s first five months, according to a Center for Public Integrity review of filings with the Federal Election Commission.

Citizens United’s PAC has donated $96,500 to Republican politicians and committees including Reps. Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla.; Ron DeSantis, R-Fla.; Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C.; and Steve Stockman, R-Texas.

During the 2012 election cycle, the PAC doled out $939,000 to conservative candidates and committees, records show.

Meanwhile, the PACs of the Eagle Forum and Family Research Council — which, like Citizens United, also filed amicus brief with the Supreme Court in support of DOMA — each gave out about $250,000 during the 2012 election cycle.

This year, the Eagle Forum’s PAC has contributed $3,000 to Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli and $1,000 to Republican House candidate Jason Smith, who prevailed in a special election in Missouri last month.

And Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, currently ranks as the sole beneficiary of the Family Research Council’s PAC so far this year, collecting $1,000 in March. Gohmert gained notoriety earlier this year after he compared marriage between same-sex couples to polygamy and bestiality.

By contrast, the PAC of the Human Rights Campaign, which advocates for the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, has made $61,000 in political donations so far this year. It gave out more than $1 million during the 2012 election cycle, mostly to Democrats.

Ahead of the 2012 election, the Human Rights Campaign also donated $100,000 to Women Vote!, the super PAC of EMILY’s List, which seeks to elect Democrats who support abortion rights.

After the Supreme Court’s ruling this morning, Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin praised federal recognition of married lesbian and gay couples as “a massive turning point for equality,” adding that all families must have “guaranteed complete access to the protections they need regardless of state borders.”

A release on the organization’s website also calls Huelskamp’s move to reinstate DOMA a “shame.”