Senate to Hold DADT Hearings

By http://www.advocate.com

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York announced Monday that the Senate Armed Services Committee will hold hearings this fall on "don't ask, don't tell" -- the first hearings held in the Senate on the military's gay ban since it was instituted in 1993. The House held hearings in the summer of 2008.

Gillibrand secured the pledge from the Armed Services Committee chairman, Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, but a repeal bill has yet to be introduced in the Senate.

“This policy is wrong for our national security and wrong for the moral foundation upon which our country was founded,” Senator Gillibrand said in a statement. “I thank Chairman Levin for agreeing to hold this important hearing. Numerous military leaders are telling us that the times have changed. ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is an unfair, outdated measure that violates the civil rights of some of our bravest, most heroic men and women. By repealing this policy, we will increase America’s strength -- both militarily and morally.”

Gillibrand had been considering offering an amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill that would have suspended discharges for the balance of the 111th Congress, but she determined that she did not have the 60 votes necessary to successfully overcome a filibuster.

Though no bill has been dropped in the Senate, a repeal bill is still considered Sen. Edward Kennedy's to introduce.

"Sen. Kennedy has been and continues to be the leader on this issue," said one Senate Democratic aide.

Senator Kennedy's office has said for months that the Senator is searching for a Republican cosponsor before introducing the bill, but he has no doubt been focused on achieving President Barack Obama's top priority, health reform. Kennedy is also contending with health issues related to his diagnosis of brain cancer.

In spite of the bill's absence, a spokesperson for Sen. Gillibrand said that the effort to build support for the moratorium had helped push the ball forward.

"The Senator feels that there's strong momentum toward full repeal," said Matt Canter. "That was always her goal from the beginning."