But Boehner (R., Ohio) said in a statement that the president had shirked the executive branch's constitutional obligation to defend all the laws Congress has enacted.
"It is regrettable that the Obama administration has opened this divisive issue at a time when Americans want their leaders to focus on jobs and the challenges facing our economy," he said. "The constitutionality of this law should be determined by the courts - not by the president unilaterally."
Under the 1996 law, passed by overwhelming bipartisan majorities and signed by President Bill Clinton, states are not legally required to recognize same-sex marriages performed by another state, and the federal government cannot recognize them either.
Boehner said he would convene the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, which has the authority to direct House lawyers to take action. Republicans have a 3-2 majority on the panel, which includes the top leaders of both parties.
The White House declined to comment on Boehner's move.
Democrats are not likely to favor defense of DOMA. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) had praised Obama's decision to abandon it as a "victory for civil rights," and she called Boehner's move a costly burden. "This is nothing more than a distraction," she said in a statement.
Yet the cause is important to an important part of the Republican coalition. Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R., Pa.), who is exploring a run for president, was one of the loudest voices criticizing GOP leaders for their muted initial response to Obama's decision. Santorum was the first high-profile figure in the party to publicly suggest, in a Feb. 25 interview with USA Today, that the House take up defense of the law itself.
There are precedents for an administration's refusing to carry out a law.
