Balance of Power

Pressed on whether the administration is slow-walking gay and lesbian issues, Gibbs cited Obama's crowded agenda. "We are working on a large amount of things. The president added financial regulation to that large plate of things just this afternoon and this morning. But it is a priority of the president to get done," Gibbs said.

The memorandum Obama will sign allows domestic partners of federal employees to be added to the long-term care insurance program, according to administration officials. In addition, supervisors can be required to allow employees to use their sick leave to take care of domestic partners and their children. For foreign service employees, the memorandum permits the use of medical facilities at foreign posts abroad, medical evacuation from posts abroad and including domestic partners in family size calculations for housing allowances.

Some members of Congress already are seeking to expand the reach of Obama's memorandum and codify the changes in law. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph I. Lieberman, I-Conn., on Wednesay called for passage of a bill (S 1102) he's co-sponsoring with the panel's ranking Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, that would extend the presidential order to include all federal employees and all benefits that are currently available to married spouses of federal employees.

"This is not only a matter of fairness, but would also help the federal government attract, recruit and retain the most qualified workers," Lieberman said.