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House Republicans are expected to move Friday to assert themselves as defenders of the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 law that bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages. Last month, the Obama administration said it had decided the law was unconstitutional, and had directed the Justice Department to stop defending it in court.

While Republican rebukes to Mr. Obama’s decision were largely muted, Speaker John Boehner has said that the Republican-controlled House would likely make a move to defend the law.

In an television interview Wednesday night, Mr. Boehner called the President’s decision “outrageous”. He added: “It’s the law of the land. It’s the job of the Justice Department to defend the work of our government. And I just think it’s outrageous. We’re looking at our options, what’s available to us to intervene. The short – the long and the short of this is that we are going to intervene. The question is how do we do it.”

Under federal law, whenever the executive branch declines to defend a statute it believes is unconstitutional, the Attorney General must inform Congress of that decision, which he has in this case, and lawmakers must then determine whether to appoint their own lawyer to defend the statute in court.

This decision can be done through a resolution, or via the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, made up of the three majority leaders and two most senior minority members in the House; the majority can then instruct the House General Counsel, on behalf of the House, to seek to intervene
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Neal Devins, a professor of law at William and Mary Law School, said that such disputes between the legislative and executive branches tend to center around the separation of powers, so the case around the marriage act is unusual. “The House can appear as an amicus or ask the court to appoint it as a party in the case,” he said.

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From Today’s Times:

-         President Obama has determined that the Defense of Marriage Act – the law that bans federal recognition of same-sex marriage – is unconstitutional. The administration announced Wednesday that the Justice Department will no longer defend the law in court, prompting gay rights advocates to hail the shift as a watershed victory with far-reaching implications, The Times’s Charlie Savage and Sheryl Gay Stolberg report.

-         Arizona is again making headlines for anti-immigration legislation. A tougher law than the one passed last year would ban school enrollment, driving and other public benefits for illegal residents, The Times’s Marc Lacey reports. The sweeping package of immigration restrictions would make the controversial measures approved by the state in 2010 look lenient. If the law is passed, children born in the United States whose parents are illegal immigrants would receive special birth certificates that would make clear that the state does not consider them Arizona citizens.

Illinois has become the refuge of choice for Democrat legislators fleeing their states’ capitals to block the passage of bills aimed at undercutting the bargaining rights of public-sector employees, The Times’s Monica Davey reports. By Wednesday evening, most of Indiana’s 40 Democratic state representatives were living in rooms (“plain but all we need,” in the words of one) at the Comfort Suites in Urbana, Ill., about 100 miles west of the state Capitol in Indianapolis. Wisconsin’s Senate Democrats were preparing to mark their first full week, on Thursday, somewhere in northern Illinois.

-         While Chicago is welcoming its new mayor-elect, the ex-governor of Illinois is hoping to ease the terms of his exit. Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to drop three of the more serious charges against  Rod R. Blagojevich, who was convicted last year of making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He would still face more than a dozen charges, but the decision was a sign that prosecutors had concerns about the complexity of the case, The Times’s Emma Graves Fitzsimmons reports.

Around the Web:

-         Sarah Palin will travel to India next month to speak at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi. She will be the sole American politician at the conference that is attended mainly by Indian and Pakistani officials, business leaders, public figures and entertainers, Politico reports. Ms. Palin will deliver the conference’s closing speech.

Washington Happenings:

-         Senator Barbara Boxer and Representative Loretta Sanchez, Democrats from California, will announce new legislative efforts to provide flexible spending accounts for service members. They   plan to introduce the bill that would aim to help military families save on health and child care costs before Congress.

-         The Motor City rolls through Washington as the president and the first lady host “The Motown Sound” concert at the White House. The show will feature both music legends and contemporary artists for a celebration of Black History Month and the legacy of Motown Records.

-         Michelle Obama welcomes more than 100 children from across the country to participate in a workshop called “The Sound of Young America: The History of Motown.” The executive director of the Grammy Museum will lead students in a discussion about Motown’s legacy.

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As the House marched steadily on Friday toward approving the largest spending cuts in modern history, Republicans easily pushed through amendments to deny government financing for Planned Parenthood, to block money for carrying out the big health care overhaul and to bar the Obama administration from regulating certain greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.

On the fourth day of free-wheeling debate over the spending measure, political priorities took center stage.

The amendment to deny government funds to Planned Parenthood was put forward by Representative Mike Pence, Republican of Indiana. It was approved by a vote of 240 to 185.

The House Democratic leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, angrily denounced the vote as a camouflaged effort by Republicans to prevent Americans from engaging in all kinds of family planning, services which she said would actually reduce the number of elective abortions. “Perhaps we have to have a lesson in the birds and the bees around here for them to understand that,” Ms. Pelosi said at a news conference.

There were at least five different amendments to block federal agencies from implementing the health care law or crucial components of the law. Four of them were approved easily and the fifth was defeated on parliamentary grounds.

One amendment, by Representative Denny Rehberg, Republican of Montana, would prohibit “funds from being used to pay any employee, officer, or contractor to implement the provisions of the president’s health care law.” It was approved by 239 to 187. Another by Representative Steve King, Republican of Iowa, would prohibit “the use of funds in the bill from being used to carry out the provisions of the president’s health care law.” It was approved by 241 to 187. Mr. King also put forward an amendment to bar money in the bill from paying the salary “of any officer or employee of any federal department or agency with respect to carrying out the provisions of the president’s health care law.” That one was approved by 237 to 191.

And an amendment by Representative Jo Ann Emerson, Republican of Missouri, to prohibit funds to implement the mandate that most Americans obtain health insurance and other reporting requirements in the health care law was approved by 246 to 182.

Taking aim at the Democrats’ environmental agenda, Representative Ted Poe, Republican of Texas, proposed an amendment that prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency from limiting greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and factories for seven months. It was approved by 249 to 177.

The Republican amendments now become part of a spending package, running through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, that would cut government spending by more than $60 billion. The House is certain to approve the measure given strong Republican support. But the White House has already threatened a veto, and Senate Democrats have made clear they will not go along.

An impasse in the spending debate could lead to a government shutdown early next month. The temporary stop-gap measure now financing the government expires on March 4.

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In Today’s Times:

– President Obama called for an “orderly transition” in Egypt that will lead to “free and fair” elections this fall after the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, said he would not run for re-election. David Kirkpatrick, Mark Landler and Helene Cooper recount how Mr. Mubarak, who has ruled Egypt for more than 30 years, found himself suddenly swept out of power not just by protesters in Egypt but by diplomatic pressure from the United States.

– Senate Republicans may have the chance on Wednesday to vote for repeal of the Obama administration’s health care law, although Democrats say they have enough votes to beat back the challenge. The Republican majority in the House voted last month in favor of repeal. Kevin Sack, David M. Herszenhorn and Robert Pear break down how states are responding to a court ruling Monday that was a victory for opponents of the law — and how Congressional Republicans are using this ruling and another earlier one to build momentum for repeal. (Two other judges have ruled in support of the law).

-Reed Abelson explains the uncertainty in the tussle over the health law facing patients who are close to or have reached the lifetime limits of their insurance coverage. The law bans such caps but a repeal would allow them to be reinstated.

–Charlotte, N.C., will host the Democratic convention in 2012 after the White House selected the city over St. Louis, Minneapolis and Cleveland. Jeff Zeleny writes that the decision reflects the confidence of Mr. Obama and his advisers in his ability to win a southern state, and a desire to hold on to states he captured in 2008. Republicans selected Tampa, Fla., last year after picking up seats in the battleground state in the midterm elections.
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–The chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee plans to block lawmakers from appending funds for pet projects to spending bills, Carl Hulse writes. The decision comes months after the Republican majority in the House banned such earmarks and President Obama vowed to veto any bills containing them.

Around the Web:
–Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi will travel to Israel to meet Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, according to The Hill. Former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas has announced a similar trip and former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts has also visited Israel. The move suggests that all three men are seeking to boost their foreign policy credentials in anticipation of a crowded Republican contest for president in 2012.

CQ reports that the White House plans to put a higher priority on judicial nominations this year as many vacancies remain unfilled.

Happening in Washington:

–As the fate over the health care law is deliberated in the courts, senators on the Judiciary Committee will evaluate the constitutionality of the law in a hearing this morning.

–Mr. Obama will sign the nuclear START treaty late this morning, then meet separately in the afternoon with Senators John McCain of Arizona and Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico. Later, he and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will meet with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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Mark Wilson/European Pressphoto Agency President Obama said on Tuesday that he told President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt that “an orderly transition … must begin now.”

The world’s attention was riveted on Tuesday to the unfolding revolution in Egypt and to President Obama’s reaction.

But it was also a remarkable day in which the contours of the 2012 presidential campaign emerged. Nearly all of the big issues that will form the core of the next battle for the presidency were present — in some way — on Tuesday.

Even as Mr. Obama chose the city where he will be nominated for re-election (Charlotte, N.C.), the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 12,000 for the first time since June 2008, months before the economic collapse that helped propel Mr. Obama into office.

Darren McCollester/Getty Images Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, at a rally in New Hampshire in October.

In Congress, Republicans were poised to force another, mostly symbolic vote on repealing the president’s health care law, a day after a judge in Florida declared it unconstitutional. At the same time, a senior Democrat in the Senate finally accepted the end of earmarks as a gesture toward spending restraint.

The White House’s attempts to carefully confront the rapidly moving situation in Egypt offered fresh opportunities for his likely Republican rivals to start separating themselves from one another, and from Mr. Obama, in the areas of national security and foreign policy.

And the political party organizations that will form the nucleus of the campaign fund-raising operations next year all reported being saddled with tens of millions of dollars of debt going into the election season.

Most of the other news got drowned out, rightly so, by the stunning events in Egypt. But as time moves on, Washington may look back on Tuesday as a predictor of what’s to come.

Here’s why:

* The Economy. Just about everyone agrees that the fate of the economy in 2012 is most likely to be the biggest factor in the campaign. And so the stock market’s milestone on Tuesday serves as a reminder that the narrative about the economy can change quickly.

Republicans successfully tapped into anger and concern about high unemployment and sagging confidence about the future to win big in 2010. But if the economy improves significantly — or even if people feel like it has — Mr. Obama could turn the tables on that argument in 2012.

That the stock market has regained so much ground recently suggests that it is far too early to know where it will be in 20 months. That uncertainty will shape the debate among Republicans vying for their party’s nomination and the president’s strategy heading into next year.

The Nominating City: As my colleague Jeff Zeleny reports, Mr. Obama’s decision to hold the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte was meant as a clear signal that will help determine Mr. Obama’s strategy and how the Republicans counter him.

White House aides said they were determined to once again play to win states in the South like North Carolina and Virginia, which had long been lost causes for Democrats until Mr. Obama put them in play in 2008. Having the convention in the South, they said, means they are serious.

And even more broadly, the decision means Mr. Obama does not intend — at least for now — to narrow his ambitions to the states that Democrats traditionally win, regardless of losses in the midterm elections. If his advisers hold true to that strategy, Mr. Obama will once again be campaigning in territory that is unfriendly to many of the policies he has pursued.

Health Care: The Republican attempt to draw a clear line in the sand on health care repeal is aimed at 2012, when they hope to be on the right side of what they believe to be an unpopular law. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, bragged on Tuesday that every one of his members would vote for repeal.

That all but ensures that the health care law will be at the center of the presidential debate. But the legal case being waged against the law could be even more important if the United States Supreme Court ends up hearing the case sometime in 2012.

Spending and the Deficit: The two parties in Congress and the president appear headed for legislative collision over the issue of spending and the deficits this year — a clash that is likely to set the stage for a policy debate among the presidential candidates in 2012.

On Tuesday, Senator Daniel Inouye, Democrat of Hawaii, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, finally agreed not to allow earmarks — items directing specific amounts of money for specific projects — from his colleagues in spending bills. After years of defending earmarks, Mr. Inouye gave in to Republican opposition and a veto threat by Mr. Obama.

By themselves, earmarks are not likely to be at the center of the spending debate. But for the moment, they are the primary symbol of the angst that the public and many lawmakers feel about what they consider out-of-control spending. And the fact that a staunch supporter like Mr. Inouye caved is an indication of how powerful the issue is.

Washington Squabbling: Together, health care and earmarks were a reminder on Tuesday that the congeniality created in the wake of the Arizona shootings has already begun to fade. Mr. Obama campaigned on a promise to change the tone and partisanship in Washington, and his rivals are likely to point to the arguments on Capitol Hill as evidence that he has not.

And the Republican presidential candidates could find themselves having to answer for the actions of their party leaders in Congress, who now have control of the House and greater numbers in the Senate.

On Tuesday, the typical statements started flying back and forth from senators. (The House was out of session this week.)

Senator Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, the majority leader, issued a statement with the subject line: “Republicans Should Stop Trying to Take Benefits Away From Americans, Start Working With Democrats to Create Jobs.” Mr. McConnell, for his part, said his party wanted to repeal the “2,700-page bill that seeks to restructure all of American health care and put the decisions in Washington.”

Foreign Policy: The events in Egypt left the White House, and most Americans, largely as observers. But the fact that the revolution was playing out in Cairo, where Mr. Obama delivered his seminal speech to the Arab world in 2009, focused attention on whether he was achieving his goals for that region.

Middle East peace remains largely stalled, providing an opportunity to his rivals. (Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and a possible 2012 contender, was in Israel on Tuesday and took jabs at Mr. Obama from there.)

And more broadly, the unrest in Egypt was a stark reminder that foreign policy will not be absent from the presidential debate this year and next. Mr. Obama’s successful efforts to pass a nuclear treaty with Russia, his decision to increase troops in Afghanistan and his efforts to confront the growing influence of China will all be fair game for those seeking his job.

Political Party Fund-raising: And finally, the six party committees (two in the House, two in the Senate and the two major party organizations) all reported their year-end finances on Tuesday.

Aides for both sides sought to spin their results for the better, and to suggest why their counterparts had failed. But the bottom line was this: the hard-fought 2010 midterm elections have left all of the party apparatus largely broke, in debt and having to start fresh for the next two years.

That is not so unusual by itself. But as they begin a presidential campaign that some say could cost $1 billion on each side, it foreshadows a furious season of fund-raising. And it could predict even further growth of outside groups to supplement the resources of the official, party-controlled organizations.

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Government-subsidized health insurance – one of many perks of serving in Congress – kicked in on Tuesday for new members.

But a group of more than a dozen freshman Republicans who campaigned vigorously on overturning President Obama’s new health care law will be opting out.

Whether in direct protest of the health care overhaul, which House Republicans voted unanimously to repeal two weeks ago, or in an attempt to retain their Washington-outsider patina, about 15 members declined coverage through the Federal Employees’ Health Benefits Plan, which covers eight million federal employees and their dependents.

Among them were: Representatives Joe Walsh, Republican of Illinois, Richard Nugent of Florida, and Paul Gosar of Arizona, who was a dentist for 25 years and sold his practice to pursue politics.

The federal health care program, established in 1960, gives federal workers a variety of plans to choose from and in this respect, its structure is somewhat similar to that of the health insurance exchanges set to begin in 2014 under the new law.

For months, Democrats have challenged Republican members to forgo their federal insurance to show they are serious about dismantling the legislation. Some Republicans have countered that accepting coverage from the taxpayer-sponsored program makes them just like millions of private citizens who participate in the health insurance offered by their employers.

The symbolism of the decision to opt out of government coverage had drawn Democrats to that choice in the past, for the opposite reason.

Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Representative Joe Courtney of Connecticut, both Democrats, pledged to decline federal health insurance until all Americans have access to health care.

After 18 years on Capitol Hill Mr. Brown, elected in 1992, finally enrolled last year after the new health care law was passed. Mr. Courtney, however, apparently doesn’t think it’s a done deal.

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