Sen. Gillibrand: “Tell the US Senate Not to Go Home Until DADT Is Repealed”

David Streeter — December 16, 2010 – 1:26 pm | Civil Rights | Congress | Democrats Comments (0) Add a comment

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) has published a new piece in The Huffington Post that urges Americans to tell their Senators not to return home until “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) has been repealed. Gillibrand wrote:

The House has now passed the standalone ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal bill—legislation I was proud to introduce in the Senate—and momentum continues to build toward repeal. Now the Senate must get it done and we must stay in session until we do.

As Senator Reid suggested earlier this week, if we don’t get to it before Christmas, we must return the week after and take it up before the new Congress begins on January 5th.

Please stand with me and let my colleagues know that you want us to stay in session until ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is repealed.

I know that many of my colleagues are as committed to passing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal as I am. Already, the Senate standalone repeal bill has 47 co-sponsors and I believe we have the 60 votes we’ll need to overcome a Republican filibuster. With a new poll showing almost 80% of Americans believe that gays and lesbians should be able to serve openly in our armed forces, the least Republicans and Democrats in the Senate should be able to do is come together and repeal this corrosive and un-American policy.

But an obstructionist group of Republicans are determined to scuttle any and all business the American people have sent us to Washington to do. We need to let them know that nothing will keep us from fighting for equal rights for all Americans willing to risk their lives for our country or passing health care for the 9/11 heroes, a fight I am also leading in the Senate.

Join me in letting the US Senate know that you want us to stay until our work is done.

 

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