Retiring Republican Sen. Roy Blunt said Wednesday that he supports a bill to protect federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages, as the Senate attempts to pass a bill that would codify landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions involving marriage. Blunt, a Missouri Republican who is retiring at the end of the year, had refused to say how he would vote until the bill was up for a procedural vote. He said his decision was based on added provisions that guaranteed religious freedom protections in the bill. “This bill is now designed to accomplish two things,” Blunt wrote in a statement. “People who are legally married in one state have the same protections and responsibilities in any other state that are offered to and required of marriages. And, this legislation enhances the religious freedom for all Americans by protecting religious organizations from retaliation by federal agencies due to their views on marriage. I believe it’s better for Congress to clarify these issues...