It looks like the White House and Congress have struck a deal between the Pentagon and the gay community to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in this year’s Defense authorization bill. I’m very impressed with the lead role that Rep. Patrick Murphy has taken in pushing this through.
LGBT groups met with officials at the White House while legislative affairs representatives from the White House and the Department of Defense met with the staff of House and Senate leadership offices on Capitol Hill along with those of Rep. Patrick Murphy and senators Carl Levin and Joseph Lieberman…
…According to one person familiar with the White House meeting, the proposal that is being considered would legislatively repeal the statute this year, but the current policy would remain in place and implementation of repeal would not occur until after the Pentagon’s working group study is finished in December. Further, completion of repeal would require certification from President Barack Obama, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and Joint Chiefs chair Adm. Mike Mullen that the new law will not have a negative impact on readiness, recruitment, retention, and other key factors affecting the military.
The language would not include a nondiscrimination policy but rather will return authority for open service by gays and lesbians to the Pentagon…
Murphy is expected to offer a repeal measure as an attachment to the NDAA on the House floor, and Levin has made no secret of the fact that he will move forward with an attachment in committee if he has the votes.
Murphy has long said he has the 217 votes necessary to pass repeal in the House, and Hill insiders have said for weeks that Levin is one or two votes away from the 15 needed to attach the measure in committee.
If Levin can’t attach it in committee, it can still be introduced as an amendment. It would probably require 60 votes at that point, but I think 60 is achievable.
