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Repeal of US military gay ban clears Senate panel
Source: Agencies |
May 28, 2010, Friday
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A key US Senate committee took a step yesterday toward repealing a ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the US military, a goal championed by President Barack Obama.
On a 16-12 vote, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved legislation aimed at ending the Clinton-era "don't ask, don't tell" policy that allows homosexuals to serve in secret but expels them if their sexual orientation becomes known.
The House of Representatives was expected to vote on a similar proposal later yesterday or today, and there are still several more legislative steps before the change can become law.
"It's time for this policy to go. It doesn't reflect America's best values for equal opportunity and it is not good for the military," said independent Senator Joseph Lieberman, a committee member.
"Bottom line: thousands of service members have been pushed out of the US military -- not because they were inadequate or bad soldiers, sailor, Marines or airman, but because of their sexual orientation."
Even if Congress gives final approval to such legislation, repeal would require certification from Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, that the new law would not have a negative impact on readiness, unit cohesion, recruitment and troop retention.
The Pentagon also needs to complete a review on how to implement the repeal, due by December 1.
Ending the 17-year-old ban would be a major victory for Obama and for gay rights advocates who supported his 2008 presidential campaign.
But it is also a political issue that has long divided the US military. Opposition Republicans, gearing up for congressional elections in November in which they are expected to make gains, accused Obama of using the US armed forces to engage in a "social experiment."
"Is this the sort of thing that George Washington or our founders would be proud of?" asked Republican Representative Todd Akin in a House debate. "I will not betray my children or our armed services people just for mere politics."
Republicans criticized Obama's Democrats for failing to wait until completion of the Pentagon study.
"We're dissing the troops, that's what we're doing. We're disrespecting them," said Representative Howard McKeon, the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee.
Recent polls show most Americans support the repeal of the 1993 ban, but opponents fear it could increase strain on a military already stretched by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Senator John McCain, Obama's challenger in the 2008 election, pointed to copies of letters from the heads of the US Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines saying they had wanted Congress to wait until the Pentagon completed its study.
Lieberman voiced confidence that the full Senate would sign off on legislation, saying: "We've got some momentum now."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said she expected it to clear her chamber as well.
"I think the votes are there," Pelosi told reporters yesterday.
Representative Patrick Murphy, the sponsor of the amendment in the House, said: "When I served in Baghdad, my team didn't care whether a fellow soldier was gay."
"We cared if they could fire their M-4 assault rifle or run a convoy down Ambush alley ... do their job so that everyone in our unit could get home safely."
On a 16-12 vote, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved legislation aimed at ending the Clinton-era "don't ask, don't tell" policy that allows homosexuals to serve in secret but expels them if their sexual orientation becomes known.
The House of Representatives was expected to vote on a similar proposal later yesterday or today, and there are still several more legislative steps before the change can become law.
"It's time for this policy to go. It doesn't reflect America's best values for equal opportunity and it is not good for the military," said independent Senator Joseph Lieberman, a committee member.
"Bottom line: thousands of service members have been pushed out of the US military -- not because they were inadequate or bad soldiers, sailor, Marines or airman, but because of their sexual orientation."
Even if Congress gives final approval to such legislation, repeal would require certification from Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, that the new law would not have a negative impact on readiness, unit cohesion, recruitment and troop retention.
The Pentagon also needs to complete a review on how to implement the repeal, due by December 1.
Ending the 17-year-old ban would be a major victory for Obama and for gay rights advocates who supported his 2008 presidential campaign.
But it is also a political issue that has long divided the US military. Opposition Republicans, gearing up for congressional elections in November in which they are expected to make gains, accused Obama of using the US armed forces to engage in a "social experiment."
"Is this the sort of thing that George Washington or our founders would be proud of?" asked Republican Representative Todd Akin in a House debate. "I will not betray my children or our armed services people just for mere politics."
Republicans criticized Obama's Democrats for failing to wait until completion of the Pentagon study.
"We're dissing the troops, that's what we're doing. We're disrespecting them," said Representative Howard McKeon, the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee.
Recent polls show most Americans support the repeal of the 1993 ban, but opponents fear it could increase strain on a military already stretched by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Senator John McCain, Obama's challenger in the 2008 election, pointed to copies of letters from the heads of the US Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines saying they had wanted Congress to wait until the Pentagon completed its study.
Lieberman voiced confidence that the full Senate would sign off on legislation, saying: "We've got some momentum now."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said she expected it to clear her chamber as well.
"I think the votes are there," Pelosi told reporters yesterday.
Representative Patrick Murphy, the sponsor of the amendment in the House, said: "When I served in Baghdad, my team didn't care whether a fellow soldier was gay."
"We cared if they could fire their M-4 assault rifle or run a convoy down Ambush alley ... do their job so that everyone in our unit could get home safely."
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