[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 83 (Friday, May 28, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E987-E988]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011

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                               speech of

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 27, 2010

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5136) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2011 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense, to prescribe 
     military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
     other purposes:


[[Page E988]]


  Mr. LEVIN. Madam Chair, I rise in strong support of the amendment by 
Representative Murphy to repeal the ``Don't Ask Don't Tell'' policy.
  The Don't Ask Don't Tell policy is discriminatory and it harms U.S. 
military readiness. Over the last 17 years, our nation has paid a heavy 
price for pursuing this policy. Since 1993, more than 13,000 qualified, 
well trained men and women have been dismissed from the military simply 
because of their sexual orientation. These are men and women we could 
ill afford to lose, especially at a time when our armed forces are 
engaged in two major military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  This is why so many of this country's highest current and retired 
military leaders favor repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, including the 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mullen. Admiral Mullen 
recently wrote, ``No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape 
being troubled by the fact that we have a policy which forces young men 
and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow 
citizens.'' Retired General Colin Powell and the former Chairman of the 
Joint Chiefs of Staff, General John Shalikashvili also have urged 
repeal.
  The argument has been made that repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell would 
negatively affect military unit cohesion. The evidence simply does not 
support this. Many other countries--including Britain, Canada and 
Israel--successfully allow gays and lesbians to serve openly. In any 
case, the Murphy amendment specifically states that repeal will take 
place only after the President and our nation's military leaders 
certify that the Department of Defense has prepared the necessary 
policies and regulations to implement repeal and that these policies 
are consistent with military standards for readiness, effectiveness, 
unit cohesion, recruiting and retention.

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