News and Press Releases :: October 12, 2010

McKeon Calls on Administration to Immediately Motion to Stay the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Injunction

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.), the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, today called on the President and his Administration to immediately file a motion to stay an injunction issued by a federal judge which stops the enforcement of the Department of Defense’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
 
McKeon’s statement follows:
“We are a nation at war.  This decision could have a negative impact on military and family readiness since the Department of Defense is unprepared to address the issues that are bound to arise from such a hasty change." 
 
“The President made a commitment to our nation’s military leaders.  He entrusted our military service chiefs to conduct thorough reviews to determine whether repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ would undermine military readiness.  In order to sustain that trust, the Administration should immediately file a motion to stay the injunction and appeal the overarching decision," McKeon said.
 
“The decision to maintain or repeal the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ law is currently being debated within the United States Congress.  Since the results of the Department of Defense review are not expected until December at the earliest and must inform our discussion, the senior military officers of each of the services asked Congress to maintain the current policy until the comprehensive review of our military men and women—and their families—could be completed.  While fighting two wars, the men and women of our military deserve an opportunity to be heard on this topic.”
 
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