The end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” loomed closer this week with both chambers of Congress voting to move forward on its repeal.
Both the full House of Representatives and the Senate Armed Services Committee voted Thursday to attach an amendment to the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act that would lift the policy. A final vote on the defense bill in both chambers is expected after the Memorial Day recess.
Following meetings earlier this week among White House and Congressional representatives and LGBT leaders, the amendment was written to stipulate that full repeal wouldn’t occur until the completion of an ongoing Pentagon study on the law and approval by the President, Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — a compromise that garnered the backing of the Obama administration.
The Senate committee approved the measure 16-12, with only Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) breaking ranks with her fellow Republicans to vote in favor of the amendment. The House voted 234-194 in favor of the amendment. All Democratic Pennsylvania Congressmembers voted in favor of the amendment, except for Reps. Chris Carney (10th Dist.) and Mark Critz (12th Dist.), and all Pennsylvania Republicans were opposed, including Reps. Jim Gerlach (6th Dist.), Glenn Thompson (5th Dist.), Bill Shuster (9th Dist.), Charlie Dent (15th Dist.), Joe Pitts (16th Dist.), Tim Murphy (18th Dist.) and Todd Russell Platts (19th Dist.).
Pennsylvania Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-8th Dist.), the lead sponsor of the repeal bill in the House and a veteran of the Iraq War, said Thursday evening that Congress had taken an “historic step toward ensuring that every American has the same opportunity I did to defend our nation.”
“Patriotic Americans willing to take a bullet for their country should never be forced to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love,” Murphy said. “I will not rest until the repeal of the discriminatory policy that hurts national security is signed into law.”
Obama said in a statement Thursday that he was “pleased” with the votes and applauded the work of Murphy, Senate sponsor Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Carl Levin (D-Mich.).
“Our military is made up of the best and bravest men and women in our nation, and my greatest honor is leading them as Commander-in-Chief,” Obama said. “This legislation will help make our armed forces even stronger and more inclusive by allowing gay and lesbian soldiers to serve honestly and with integrity.”
While the legislation would dismantle “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” discharges will still be permitted until the study and certification are completed. The repeal would be allowed to be implemented 60 days after the study is finalized, which is expected Dec. 1.
Sara Schaumburg, communications director for Murphy, noted that earlier this year, the military eased restrictions on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” discharges — heightening the level of those qualified to initiate an investigation and tightening restrictions on third-party accusations, among other regulations — which she said should help to prevent some of the more egregious discharge, until the repeal can be implemented.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who previously stated his opposition to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” but has advocated for Congress waiting until after the completion of the study to move forward on repeal legislation, expressed mild support for the compromise this week.
Pentagon spokesperson Geoff Morrell said in a statement that Gates “ideally” believes the legislation should wait until next year, but “with Congress having indicated that is not possible, the secretary can accept the language in the proposed amendment.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].