Gillibrand wants to cut funding for DADT discharges

Image via Wikipedia

Sen. Kristin Gillibrand (D-NY) told an audience at Saturday night's HRC fund raiser that she will be introducing legislation to cut funding for the enforcement of "Don't ask, Don't tell." Gillibrand was the key note speaker at the HRC gala at New York's Waldorf Astoria. (FYI, I had leftover pizza Saturday night.)

The Advocate reports:
During the speech Gillibrand reviewed how she has championed ending the military ban since being appointed to the New York seat vacated by Hillary Clinton last year. Gillibrand, a Democrat, faces a potential primary challenge from Harold E. Ford Jr. this fall.

“I am leading this fight because I believe strongly that ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ is a threat to the men and women in our armed services, and a threat to our national security,” she said.

Gillibrand reiterated the historic testimony of Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who told the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday that repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” was the “right thing to do.”

“The hearing this week was a very important first step, but we have a lot of work of to do, and we will lift this dangerous, discriminatory, and damaging policy out of our government,” said Gillibrand.

“Tonight, I am announcing that I plan to introduce an amendment to the budget that will bar the use of funds for the enforcement of this policy,” she said.
 

Related articles by Zemanta

• Colin Powell Backs Repeal of DADT (themoderatevoice.com)
• Karl Rove: Harold Ford, Jr. Is 'Articulate, Attractive' [Strange Bedfellows] (gawker.com)
• Mixner Endorses Gillibrand for Senate (lezgetreal.com)
• Sarah Jessica Parker: NY Human Rights Campaign (justjared.buzznet.com)