Today’s Times
- Though he is the latest in a growing number of Republicans to publicly oppose their party on the issue of same-sex marriage, Senator Rob Portman of Ohio was still harangued by his fellow conservatives after he announced that he could no longer justify his opposition to the issue, Jeremy W. Peters writes. One religious group released a statement mocking Mr. Portman by equating homosexuality with drunken driving, writing, “My child is a drunk driver and I love him.â€
- President Obama called his plan to divert $2 billion in revenue from federal oil and gas royalties for research into advanced vehicles a matter of “national security†that would “break this cycle of spiking gas prices,†John M Broder reports. The idea is likely to encounter strong resistance from Congressional Republicans, who might need some convincing on nontraditional vehicle technologies.
- While some attendees at this year’s gathering of the Conservative Political Action Committee were hoping to learn from the lessons of the 2012 presidential election, few could actually agree on what those lessons were, and what should be done about them, Jim Rutenberg and Richard W. Stevenson report.
 Weekly Addresses
- President Obama used his weekly address to discuss a virtual tax hike that many Americans receive every year in the form of high gas prices. “It’s a serious blow to your budget,†he said. “But the only way we’re going to break this cycle of spiking gas prices for good is to! shift our cars and trucks off of oil for good.†He proposed setting up an Energy Security Trust to finance research into alternative fuel technologies, using some of the federal government’s oil and gas revenues. “And in the meantime, let’s keep moving forward on an all-of-the-above energy strategy,†he said. “A strategy where we produce more oil and gas here at home, but also more biofuels and fuel-efficient vehicles; more solar power and wind power.â€
- Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin delivered his party’s address this week, focusing his message on the budget plan that the House is expected to vote on next week. If only the federal government would stop spending “money we don’t have,†then the budget could be balanced in 10 years, he said. “But the crucial question isn’t how we balance the budget. It’s why. The budget is a mean to an end,†he told listeners and viewers. “We’re not balancing the budget as an accounting exercise. We’re not trying to simply make numbers add up. We’re trying to improve people’s lives.â€
 Happenings in Washington
- Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will depart Washington, D.C., for Rome to attend the Mass of Inauguration celebrated by Pope Francis.
