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Lawmakers May Impose Moratorium On Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Discharges Despite Army Opposition

During today’s hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, the army announced its opposition to instituting a moratorium on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell discharges, but some lawmakers suggested that they may still press ahead with the policy.

Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) asked Army chief of staff Gen. George Casey and Secretary of the Army John McHugh to obtain an official legal assessment “as to whether there are complications for a moratorium” and Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) pressed the military to find ways to prevent additional discharges and protect soldiers who have not been officially discharged:

UDALL: So it seems that the eventuality of the repeal isn’t in question and so in that spirit, this Senator thinks we ought to put a moratorium in place during this implementation period…Who’s going to be the last gay service member to be discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell? That would be a tragedy in my mind because they are clearly patriots. They clearly want to serve their country.

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Earlier this month, Udall suggested that Congress should move concurrently on repeal while the Pentagon conducts its study. “[We should write into the repealing legislation] the period of time you suggest you need [to review the policy]…while legislating that at the end of that time we would have finality. In other words, a complete end to ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” Udall proposed at an earlier hearing.