News

Log Cabin Republicans Calls on Senate Armed Services Committee to Pass 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Compromise

Log Cabin Republicans Supports Compromise Agreement, Working Aggressively to Secure Bipartisan Support for Legislation

May 26, 2010

(Washington, DC) – Earlier this week, the White House and legislative leadership agreed on a plan for repealing the failed 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy, which would allow for a path for repeal while guaranteeing the ability of the Pentagon to complete its study on how such repeal will affect the Armed Forces and a regime for implementation.

R. Clarke Cooper, Executive Director of Log Cabin Republicans commented that "It is high time that the White House put some political muscle behind the effort to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' All parties agree that there is a need for a thorough process to properly implement the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and this compromise will allow the Pentagon study to continue, which is an important component to securing the votes needed for repealing this arcane law."

While the top leadership at the Pentagon has indicated that it favors a repeal of the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy, it is clear that legislators are hinging their decision upon the military's own analysis of the impact of the repeal, necessitating that the Pentagon study be completed.

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), a member of on the Senate Armed Services Committee who is the first Republican Senator to publicly favor repeal of the policy, supports the compromise, commenting that: "Society has changed a great deal since President Clinton signed the current law, Don't Ask/Don't Tell, back in 1993. I agree with Admiral Michael Mullen, our nation's highest ranking military official, that this law should be changed, but we should do so with care, taking into account the demands on our military forces, the challenges of instituting major policy changes during wartime, and the input provided by military leaders and personnel. The compromise proposal announced this week is contingent upon the results of a thorough review currently being conducted by the Pentagon, and would not go into effect until the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Secretary of Defense, and the President certify that the new policy would not have an adverse effect on military readiness, recruitment, and retention. This is a reasonable compromise, and I will support it when it is considered by the Senate Armed Services Committee this week."