More than 60 House members wrote to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus this week to object to the Navy's initial ruling, saying the service was violating the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.
"If Pelosi believed in defending marriage, she could afford the DOMA lawyers out of her own pocket," retorted Thomas Peters with the National Organization for Marriage.
“This action by the House will ensure that this law’s constitutionality is decided by the courts, rather than by the President unilaterally," said Speaker John Boehner.
Less than three hours after Obama announced he would not defend DOMA, a motion was filed by opponents of DOMA that integrated language from the announcement.