Congresswoman Chellie Pingree Applauds Senate Passage of Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal

Press Release

Three days after Congresswoman Chellie Pingree led the debate in the House on a bill that will end the ban on openly gay men and women serving in the military, the United States Senate passed a similar proposal today. The House proposal, which Pingree co-sponsored, passed with strong bipartisan support on Wednesday.

With the Senate's vote today, the bill now goes to President Obama for his signature.

"This change is long overdue and a long time coming," Pingree said. "Too many qualified, dedicated and patriotic men and women have been told they can no longer serve our country simply because the are gay. I'm glad to see, with today's vote in the Senate, that we are finally bringing an end to this misguided and harmful policy."

Pingree began the debate in the House earlier this week by saying there were no longer any legitimate arguments to be made for keeping the policy in place.

"There are no more excuses not to repeal this misguided and harmful policy. There is no reason to delay this any longer," Pingree said on the House floor Wednesday.

Pingree cited a recent Pentagon study in which the vast majority of military personnel said allowing gay men and women to serve openly would have no adverse effect on readiness in their units.

"How many more hearings and how much more testimony are we going to ask for, before we finally hear what the men and women of the armed services have said: just because someone is gay, doesn't make them any less of a solider, sailor, airman or Marine," Pingree said.

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