Hatch Opposes Rescinding Funds for DADT Repeal Implementation: “Our Side Lost”
Metro Weekly caught up with Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) at CPAC to talk about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal and moving forward.
Asked about the repeal, Hatch reiterated his opposition, noting that the only reason he wasn’t in the Senate on Dec. 18, 2010, to vote against repeal was that he was attending his grandson’s graduation.
At the same time, however, he said, “It’s the law now … Personally, I still have real questions about it. On the other hand, I don’t want to be discriminating against anybody. I intend to be fair.
“It has passed. It is the law, and our side lost. And that’s the way it is.”
Asked if he would support rescinding Pentagon funding for implementing the repeal of DADT, he said, “No, I don’t think so.
“I think we oughta see how it works, and if it doesn’t work, then we would have to take action.”
The Pentagon’s implementation plans, first laid out by Pentagon officials on Jan. 28, are ongoing.
The position differs from former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who followed Hatch on the CPAC stage today. Pawlenty, in response to a question from Think Progress’s Igor Volsky, said that he thought rescinding implementation funding would be “a reasonable step.”
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