Today the U.S. House of Representatives voted 250-175 on legislation to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” This historic action is the second time the House passed repeal legislation this year, the first coming in May with the National Defense Authorization Act, to which repeal legislation was attached.
Rep. Patrick Murphy and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer introduced the free-standing DADT repeal bill yesterday with identical language to the repeal amendment that passed in the House in May
“Today the U.S. House of Representatives said, for the second time, what military leaders, the majority of our troops and 80 percent of the American public have been saying all along – the only thing that matters on the battlefield is the ability to do the job,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “We are grateful to Majority Leader Hoyer and Rep. Murphy for championing repeal and for Speaker Pelosi’s continuing leadership. The Senate must now follow their lead.”
Now all eyes shift to the Senate, where Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the companion bill, S.4023, last week after the failed Senate vote to proceed to debate the National Defense Authorization Act, to which repeal legislation was attached. The Senate bill currently has 48 bipartisan cosponsors. The votes are there to repeal DADT, but the question is whether the Senate will make the time to pass this important piece of legislation before they go on vacation?
It is critical that you call your senators and tell them to support repeal this year. Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask them to connect you to your senator.
If repeal isn’t passed before the Senate adjourns for the holidays, it will likely be years before there is another chance for repeal.
