Legal Commentary

House Votes to Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

By Jeralyn

The House of Representatives has voted to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." 168 Republicans and 26 Democrats voted against the amendment which is contained in the annual Pentagon policy bill.

The provision would allow military commanders to repeal the ban, which would permit gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military for the first time....The repeal would be allowed 60 days after a Pentagon report is completed on the ramifications of allowing openly gay service members. The report is due by Dec. 1.

A similar provision passed the Senate Armed Services Committee today. The vote was 16 to 12, and one Democrat Jim Webb of Virginia, voted against it.

Sen. John McCain vows to keep fighting the repeal: "“I think it’s really going to be really harmful to the morale and battle effectiveness of our military,” he said.

Also today, the full Senate "approved a nearly $60 billion measure to pay for continuing military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq." The vote: 67 to 28. The House will now consider its own war funding bill which provides for even more money.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on May 28, 2010 (boomark / email).