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| Senator Mitch McConnell and his wife former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. |
Senator Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which includes the protection of interracial marriages, despite being married to former US Secretary for Transportation Elaine Chao, who is Taiwanese American.
The Respect For Marriage Act would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and would require each state to recognize marriages that are valid in the state where they were performed.
The RFMA was introduced out of fear that the conservative-majority Supreme Court, which earlier this year overturned Roe v. Wade, might do the same thing to the long-standing Loving vs. Virginia ruling that legalized interracial marriage and the Obergefell vs. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
McConnell, who was re-elected by the GOP Senate Minority Leader last week, never really explained his opposition to the RFMA, but Senate watchers speculated that it was his opposition to the same-sex marriage provision that prompted his nay.
He was equally mum when Trump delivered his racial slur against his wife via social media as he was criticizing McConnell's apparent support for some other Democratic legislation. However, on CNN, former McConnell aide said Trump's comments were out of line. "This is outrageous, it's beyond the pale, every Republican ought to say so," he said.
Trump insulted McConnell's wife in a post on his Truth Social website last month, calling Chao McConnell's "China-loving wife, Coco Chow." He also said McConnell had a "death wish" for backing "Democrat-sponsored bills," in the same post.
Despite McConnell's opposition to the RFMA, the Senate on Nov. 16 advanced legislation moving it closer to becoming law.
The 62 to 37 vote was a crucial test of support for the RFMA. With the backing of 12 Republican members, the Senate easily cleared the 60-vote procedural hurdle needed to move the legislation forward. Drafters of the plan were optimistic it would garner enough backing from the GOP after a bipartisan group of senators added amendments to the bill to include protecting religious liberty.
The RFMA passed the House of Representatives in a bipartisan vote in July.
Because of the amendment, the House will take another look at the bill before going to President Biden's desk for his signature. The White House urged passage of the measure.
"The right to marriage confers vital legal protections, dignity, and full participation in our society," the White House budget office said in a statement. "No person should face discrimination because of who they are or whom they love, and every married couple in the United States deserves the security of knowing that their marriage will be defended and respected."
Interracial marriage has become increasingly common in the United States: today, 17% of new marriages in the US are interracial, and “mixed race” was the fastest growing demographic category according to the 2020 census. Despite this increased acceptance, however, the recent increase of racism and hate crimes has created a challenging environment for many of those families.
Chao drew Trump's ire when she disapproved of the attempted coup on Jan. 6 and resigned her post five days later, the first administration official to do so in protest.
“I think the events at the capitol, however they occurred, were shocking. And it was something that, as I mentioned in my statement, that I could not put aside,” Chao said.
“And at a particular point, the events were such, that it was impossible for me to continue given my personal values and my philosophy,” she continued.
Chao added that “I came as an immigrant to this country. I believe in this country. I believe in the peaceful transfer of power. I believe in democracy. And so … it was a decision that I made on my own.”
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