In response to congressional votes to repeal the 1993 law regarding homosexuals in the military, followed by the White House proclamation that June is “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered Equality” month, Center for Military Readiness President Elaine Donnelly issued the following statement:

“Last week liberal members of Congress and gay activists in the White House contrived a ‘Repeal Deal’ to begin the process of eliminating the 1993 law regarding gays in the military.  A sufficient number of lawmakers fell for the Repeal Deal, which was signed by President Obama’s budget director and passed off as a ‘compromise.’  Allowing only five minutes of debate for each side, House liberals did the president’s bidding and rushed the vote to repeal the 1993 law, Section 654, Title 10, mislabeled “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT).  

Donnelly continued, “With breathtaking sophistry and arrogance, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rammed through legislation to repeal the law while denying its predetermined consequences.  During the brief debate period, no one made a single credible argument justifying the radical change.  Active-duty troops will pay a huge price so that President Barack Obama will have something to brag about during LGBT Equality Month.”  

On Fox News, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Tom McInerney said that the four military service chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps were “furious” that their strong letters of opposition were disregarded.   An unnamed high-level official also told Fox News that some active-duty troops feel “double-crossed…they had been told that nothing would happen quickly and were assured that their individual concerns would be taken into account.” 

Said Donnelly, “Democrats knew they would lose the vote if it took place later in the year, after the Pentagon’s review, so President Obama crafted a backroom deal so that he could deliver on his campaign promises to the doctrinaire LGBT Left.  Politics aside, it makes no sense for Congress to surrender to a triumvirate of pro-repeal Obama Administration officials unprecedented power to pull the final trigger on the military.   

“President Obama, Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates can “certify” that there will be no negative consequences of repeal, but that statement will be meaningless if the voices of our military have not been heard or respected.  If the professional advice and concerns of the four military service chiefs do not matter now, why would they matter later on?  This irresponsible, needlessly-rushed repeal of the law is an affront to our troops and a serious blow to morale.”  

As reported in Politico, Congress still has the power and possibly the votes to halt the campaign to repeal the law. CMR praised Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for leading the opposition during a closed-door Senate Armed Service Committee markup session, and for vowing to lead a filibuster against the Defense Authorization Bill should the Repeal Deal language remain.   

Said Donnelly, “We commend Sen. McCain and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) for their principled stand, and urge Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and all pro-military lawmakers to defeat the Defense Authorization Bill, if necessary, in order to retain the current law.  It is wrong to impose a dangerous social-engineering scheme upon the men and women of the U. S. military.”  

CMR also applauded the efforts of House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) and Ranking Member Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), who fought valiantly on the House floor for the voices of servicemembers to be heard.  

Brief summaries and detailed information on this issue are available in a specific section of the CMR website titled Gays in the Military.  More background and commentaries are posted in the SITREP section of this website, www.cmrlink.org

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