The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes three controversial, anti-gay amendments that seek to delay implementation of repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and reaffirm Congress’ support for the Defense of Marriage Act.
By a vote of 322-96, the Republican-controlled House approved the fiscal year 2012 defense authorization bill after three days of debate that discussed continued military operations in Afghanistan, funding for next-generation military programs and increased pay rates for U.S. troops.
Among the many provisions of the defense authorization bill is anti-gay language that the House Armed Services Committee inserted upon consideration of the legislation.
The first of the three amendments was sponsored by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) requires that — in addition to the certifications already required from the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — all four military service chiefs also certify that implementation of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal would not impact combat readiness.
The second amendment, from Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), reaffirms that DOMA still applies to Defense Department regulations and policies. In effect, this amendment only reaffirms the discrimination of DOMA, as it already applies to DOD.
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The third amendment, from Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), prohibits the use of military facilities or personnel for marriage ceremonies between same-sex couples, and also prohibits military chaplains or civilian Defense Department employees from officiating gay weddings.
Although the House approved the defense spending bill with the anti-gay amendments, passing such a measure into law would be challenging because the Democratic-controlled Senate would have to agree to the anti-gay language during conference negotiations.
“The passage of the defense authorization bill with these hostile amendments included comes as no surprise, and it should not become a cause for concern as long as our allies in the Senate and the President all stand strong and refuse to support a defense bill containing these amendments.” said Alex Nicholson, Executive Director of Servicemembers United, in a statement.
The four openly gay members of Congress — Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and David Cicilline (D-R.I.) — all voted “no” on the bill.
