At the end of December, Sen. Mike Lee blocked the reappointment of Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner Chai Feldblum because of her “radical views on marriage.” On Tuesday, Feldblum said Lee was describing a person she “did not recognize.”
Lee objected to Feldblum’s reappointment by unanimous consent, which means she, and two Republican candidates for the EEOC, will now go through a lengthier confirmation process. That move also means the EEOC will likely not be able to meet until that happens.
Feldblum is the first openly LGBTQ person to sit on the commission.
Lee wrote a post on his website last year titled “A Threat to Marriage from the EEOC.” In that post, Lee railed against Feldblum and her views on marriage.
If Feldblum were a typical Democrat, it might make sense to let her nomination proceed through the Senate along with her two Republican colleagues. But Feldblum is no typical Democrat. Her radical views on marriage and the appropriate use of government power place her far outside even the liberal mainstream.
Feldblum has argued that, “I, for one, am not sure marriage is a normatively good institution.” Instead of promoting marriage as the best arrangement for the emotional and economic security of families, Feldblum believes “all of us are harmed… when society fails to acknowledge the wide array of non-marital social structures.”
Feldblum even signed a manifesto proposing government recognition of “diverse kinds” of partnerships that “move beyond the narrow confines of marriage politics” in the United States.
Don’t think for a second that Feldblum’s derogatory views about marriage will stay private. Feldblum wants to turn her opinions into federal policy through the EEOC.
On Tuesday, Feldblum was asked about Lee’s objection to her reappointment.
“Senator Mike Lee took to the Senate floor to describe a person I did not recognize, even though it was supposedly me,” she quipped during a panel discussion.
Feldblum said had the three nominations gone through, it would have meant a Republican majority on the EEOC for the first time during the Trump administration.
“That’s something the business community very much wanted to see.”
Watch the clip below via CSPAN-2:
