Calling repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell “the most pressing of defense policy concerns”, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) called today on Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Carl Levin and Ranking Member John McCain to repeal DADT as a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act.  

First elected in 1992, Senator Murray was the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Washington and is currently the Senate Majority Conference Secretary, making her the fourth highest-ranking Democrat in the Senate.  Washington voters just re-elected Senator Murray, choosing her over an anti-repeal, anti-choice Republican.

Full text is below the fold.

Senator Murray Calls for Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to be Brought Before Full Senate

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin and Ranking Member John McCain urging the Committee to keep language that would repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 as it is brought before the full Senate for consideration.

“As you know, thousands of servicemembers have been separated from the military, including many with critical military skills, under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.  I have heard the stories of some of the thousands of patriotic servicemembers whose valuable military talents have been lost to our military. These men and women volunteered to serve their country in a dangerous time, and their exclusion from the ranks of the Armed Forces represents a glaring injustice as well as a limitation on our military effectiveness,” wrote Senator Murray.

The full text of the letter appears below:

The Honorable Carl Levin

Chairman

Committee on Armed Services

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable John McCain

Ranking Member

Committee on Armed Services

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

Chairman Levin and Ranking Member McCain:

I believe that now is the time for Congress to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in the military by repealing the statute underlying “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”  It was a huge step forward when the Senate Committee on Armed Services included a repeal provision in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011.   Now I urge you to ensure that this provision remains in the bill as it is brought before the full Senate for consideration.

As you know, thousands of servicemembers have been separated from the military, including many with critical military skills, under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.  I have heard the stories of some of the thousands of patriotic servicemembers whose valuable military talents have been lost to our military. These men and women volunteered to serve their country in a dangerous time, and their exclusion from the ranks of the Armed Forces represents a glaring injustice as well as a limitation on our military effectiveness.

As a cosponsor of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010, I support a responsible path towards repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”  On May 27, 2010, the Armed Services Committee adopted a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal amendment to S. 3454, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011. This amendment reflects a compromise agreement that would repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” statute – but it would do so sixty days after the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify that repeal “is consistent with the standards of military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention of the Armed Forces.” It also ensures that the views of servicemembers and their families on how repeal should be implemented are understood and considered.  I believe this represents a sound legislative approach that would protect the civil rights of American servicemembers while minimizing any potential disruption to military personnel policies.

Thank you for your continuing work on behalf of U.S. national security and the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces.  I look forward to working with you in the days ahead to pass a comprehensive defense authorization bill during this Congress that addresses the most pressing of defense policy concerns – the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”