Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, pictured May 13, 2009

President Barack Obama moved one step closer to supporting gay marriage Tuesday.

White House spokesman Jay Carney announced in a morning press briefing that the president is supporting the Respect for Marriage Act, introduced by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) in March. The bill would overturn the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Carney said the president was “proud” to support the bill. “This legislation would uphold the principle that the federal government should not deny gay and lesbian couples the same rights and legal protections as straight couples," Carney said.

The law would amend the definition of marriage as it applies to federal law, allowing a same-sex marriage to be recognized federally as long as it’s valid in the state where it happened. It also removes the definition of spouse as a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife. If passed, same-sex couples who are married would gain rights like filing federal income taxes together and receiving spousal Social Security benefits.

In remarks to the National Press Club Tuesday morning, Feinstein noted that she was one of 14 senators who voted against DOMA when it originally passed in 1996. Feinstein's spokesman, Brian Weiss, said in an email Tuesday that the senator "is obviously very pleased that the president has announced his support of the repeal effort."

The announcement comes nearly five months after Obama called the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional and ordered the Justice Department to stop defending it in court, marking a departure from his previous opposition to gay marriage. The president has not outright stated support for same-sex nuptials — though he recently said his views on the matter are "evolving."

Feinstein’s bill will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday morning. The version of the bill in the House of Representatives has been referred to a subcommittee on the Constitution.