Tucked in US President Barack Obama’s 2016 budget is a major change for gay couples.

The $4 trillion budget released yesterday (2 January) proposes an amendment to the Social Security Act to make all gay married couples eligible to receive spousal benefits, regardless of where they live.

Under current federal law, social security benefits are only available to gay married couples living in the 36 states that recognize such unions.

‘This means that for a couple that marries in one state where same-sex marriage is recognized and then moves to another state where it is not, the protection that social security spousal benefits provides to families is unavailable,’ read a note in the budget.

‘Under this president’s proposal, such married couples would have access to these benefits.’

It is the first time Obama has suggested such a change.

However, any amendment to the Social Security Act would have to pass a Republican-led Congress, which is deeply divided on gay marriage.

Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, released the following statement:

‘Once again, President Obama has demonstrated his commitment to fairness and freedom for all Americans, including same-sex couples and their families. His proposal to ensure equal social security benefits would fix a crucial gap in federal protections for same-sex couples.

‘President Obama’s leadership in helping bring the freedom to marry to all Americans will be a shining part of this president’s legacy. Of course, the only way to ensure same-sex couples nationwide have all the protections of marriage is for the Supreme Court to put the country on the right side of history by ending marriage discrimination throughout the United States, leaving no family and no state behind.’