An influential House panel has voted to defend the anti-LGBT 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, which denies federal recognition of gay marriage. The White House infuriated Republicans last month after announcing it would no longer defend the measure in two ongoing cases. The law is the last major federal statute to openly target gays and lesbians, following last year’s repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which bans openly gay people to serve in the military. In a 3-to-2 vote, the House Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group directed the House General Counsel to defend DOMA in court.