House and Senate Committees Approve "Don't Ask Don't Tell" Repeal

The process of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" made major progress last night:

The push to end the military’s “don’t ask don’t tell” policy that prohibits gays from serving openly in the military cleared two major hurdles Thursday, with the House backing repeal by a 234-194 vote, while the Senate Armed Services Committee voted 16-12 in favor of that body’s version of the change.

Both repeals, offered as amendments to a defense spending bill, would remove the policy only after the Pentagon completes a study due in December on the impact on the military of the change.

"I will not rest until the repeal of this discriminatory policy that hurts national security is signed into law,” Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Penn), the sponsor of the House amendment, said after the vote.

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