Federal marriage benefits will be extended to same-sex couples

Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced Thursday that, following June's Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, federal marriage benefits will be extended to all same-sex couples.

"I am proud to announce that the critical programs for veterans and elderly and disabled Americans, which previously could not give effect to the marriages of couples living in states that did not recognize those marriages, will now provide federal recognition for all marriages nationwide," Lynch said in a statement. She added that the Justice Department will work to ensure that equality in benefits is enforced.

The move further extends the rights that gays and lesbians were granted just a few weeks ago when the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that there is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage and that states can no longer ban same-sex marriage. Lynch called this next step a further fulfillment of "our commitment to equal treatment for all Americans."

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