Opposes Solomon Amendment and Efforts to Jeopardize First Amendment Protection

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Supporting universities' anti-discrimination policies, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma) spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives against the Solomon Amendment and against the Republican Leadership who want to continue discrimination by calling a vote on today’s resolution, H.Con.Res. 36, disapproving of a recent court decision declaring the Solomon Amendment in violation of universities’ First Amendment rights.

The Solomon Amendment denies many federal funds to universities that limit military recruiters’ access to students or do not allow an ROTC program on campus or its students to enroll at an ROTC program on another campus. This is an issue for universities with non-discrimination policies for on-campus recruiters because of the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

The following are Rep. Woolsey’s words as written for the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives:

“Mr. Speaker, last November a federal court said that the government can not take away a university’s funding simply because the school refuses to exempt the U.S. military from its policy that on-campus recruiters not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.

“Today, we are debating a resolution in support of the Solomon Amendment and if this Congress supports the resolution that is on the floor today, H. Con. Res. 36, we will be on record supporting absolute, senseless discrimination. The resolution says that it is about equal access for military recruiters at institutions of higher education.

“But, really, it is about allowing the military to avoid the consequences of discrimination that any other employer would have to face if it discriminated. Many say that our national security requires the military to engage in this discrimination, but the facts don’t support that.

“The court said that the government failed to produce ‘a shred of evidence’ that the Solomon Amendment helps military recruiting, and even suggested that the hostility that the amendment causes may hurt recruiting.

“And, it was reported last month that since 1998, the military has discharged 20 fluent Arabic speakers and 6 fluent Farsi speakers under its ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy.

“It is beyond me how it promotes our national security to defend a policy that causes
hostility among students the military claims to be desperate to recruit and that leads to the discharge of speakers of critical languages when they are in such short supply.

“No, Mr. Speaker, this resolution is not about military recruiting or national security. Plain and simple, it is about punishing universities for exercising their First Amendment right to oppose discrimination against gays and lesbians, and I encourage my colleagues to stand up for the Constitution and oppose this resolution.

“Thank you.”