'Don't Ask' repeal likely part of 2011 defense budget bill

[ccharles000]

The effort to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” will likely come next year as an amendment to the Defense Department spending bill, rather than through a standalone bill, according to gay Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.).

Frank said in an interview with the Blade that repealing the 1993 law barring gays from serving openly in the military would happen as part of the fiscal year 2011 defense authorization bill.

“The House will take up and the Senate will take up ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal,” he said. “That will again, like hate crimes, even more so, will have to be done, I believe, in the context of the defense authorization. You can’t do the standalone bill. It belongs in the defense authorization.”

Frank said lawmakers would seek to amend the defense measure to include a provision repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Such a move would mimic the way Congress recently enacted the hate crimes measure.

Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) is the sponsor of the standalone version of legislation in the House that would repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” No such legislation exists in the Senate, although Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) has said he’s in talks with the Obama administration on the issue.

http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=28029

[backscatter712]

1. Works for me.

Sneak it in as a midnight amendment, only acknowledge it just before the entire bill comes to a floor vote, and dare the Republicans to filibuster their precious military & defense-contract spending...

Think of it as revenge for Stupak.

[dionysus]

2. let's hope it happens. i know it's an issue of equal rights but my cynical side says

it's a pretty good get-out-of-useless-wars-for-free card. i know it's not like that to those who have had their military careers ended because of this.

[TheWraith]

3. Before anyone has a hernia...

As on the other thread... :eyes: two points.

The 2011 defense bill will be passed in the summer of 2010.

No, the President cannot do this by executive order.

[bluestateguy]

4. The Defense Appropriations bill has to pass, so this may be the way to do it

It worked with the hate crimes bill, so it can work here.