Two House Democrats will propose a bill ending the military’s ban on openly gay servicemembers today, bringing a repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in the lame duck session one step closer to reality.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD) and Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) will sponsor the legislation, which will be introduced by Murphy today. Rumors of the bill popped up yesterday, but weren’t confirmed until Hoyer announced it to reporters on Capitol Hill today. He said Defense Secretary Robert Gates is on board with the plan, which will create a legislative end to the nation’s nearly two-decade old ban on openly gay and lesbian soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen.
“Secretary Gates has reiterated statements that he has made in the past, and so many other military leaders have made in the past, with reference to the importance of passing legislation,” Hoyer said.
The House bill is an important step towards fitting a repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell into the extremely crowded lame duck legislative calendar. After the Senate failed to reach cloture on a defense spending bill that included DADT repeal, supporters of repealing the ban turned to a standalone bill as their last chance to get it done before Republican numbers grow in January.
The House already passed a repeal of DADT in its version of the defense bill in its version of the defense authorization bill — but with those efforts stalled in the Senate, House proponents of repeal are switching gears. Meanwhile, Senate supporters of repeal led by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are proposing their own standalone law.
The bill will have to pass both houses of Congress before it reaches the president’s desk for likely signature, so having both the House and Senate working on a repeal bill could speed the process along.
“I look forward to bringing this bill to the House floor soon, and I hope the Senate will swiftly take action as well so that the bill can be signed into law as soon as possible,” Hoyers said in a statement. “This discriminatory and harmful policy has weakened America’s security by depriving us of the work of tens of thousands of gay and lesbian troops who have served their country honorably.”
Murphy reiterated the support for repeal coming from the nation’s military leaders. Republican opponents in the Senate have criticized Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen and other leaders who have called for a legislative repeal as acting in the political interests of President Obama, who has long called for a repeal of the ban.
Murphy, a veteran of the Iraq War, said he’s sure the military is ready to allow its gay and lesbian servicemembers to serve in the open, despite what critics say.
“I’m proud to stand with the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the majority of servicemembers and the American public who all support repeal of this discriminatory policy that harms our national security and military readiness,” he said.
