King: GOP leadership not doing enough to block same-sex marriage in D.C.

Republican leaders haven't fought hard enough to overturn a decision legalizing same-sex marriages in Washington, D.C., Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said Tuesday.

King, a conservative lawmakers who's been one of the most ardent opponents of gay and lesbian marriage, said his party's leadership could be doing more to overturn a decision by the D.C. City Council that will allow same-sex couples to be married, effective on Wednesday.

"I don't think it's been pushed hard enough by Republican leadership, no," King said of an effort to repeal the council's decision during an appearance on a conservative radio show.

Republican lawmakers, led by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), have introduced a resolution in Congress to overturn the city council's ruling, which Congress can do because Washington is a federal district, and not a state.

King took Democrats to task, also, for not allowing a vote on that measure.

"There's a certain level of understanding that this pro-same sex marriage agenda is a Pelosi agenda; it's a leftist, liberal agenda," King said. "There are a lot of items we need to be fighting, and this is a big one."

The Iowa congressman said a vote wasn't being allowed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) so that Democrats could score political points.

"It's a political tug-of-war," he asserted. "If they can score political points on the other side, that's what they'll do, and that's why Nancy Pelosi won't allow Congress to vote to overturn the D.C. city council."

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