Pushing Forward on DADT Repeal Compromise
Levin, Lieberman and Murphy send letter to White House seeking administration's ''official views'' on proposed repeal plan
The three members of Congress who have taken the lead on DADT repeal – Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Penn.) – have written a letter, obtained by Metro Weekly, dated May 24, to President Obama seeking ”the Administration’s official views” on ”a legislative proposal . . . that puts a process in place to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ once the working group has completed its review and you, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs certify that repeal can be achieved consistent with the military’s standards of readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention.”
In a statement issued by Lieberman and Murphy, they said, “We will continue to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle this week to pass legislation that repeals ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ but does so in a way that accommodates the recommendations of the working group and is consistent with the military’s standards of readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention.”
The move comes after a day in which meetings to discuss the language, which they intend to add into the National Defense Authorization Act this week, were held at the White House and on Capitol Hill.
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