Washington – President Barack Obama’s call on Congress to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” is likely to founder after key House members were defeated in Tuesday’s elections.
The House, which will be led by the GOP in January, is likely instead to push for an increase in the Defense Department’s $708 billion budget and may take actions to keep the military prison at Guantanamo Bay open and to call for a shift in Afghanistan strategy, newly empowered Republicans and political observers said.
Among the losers in the House of Representatives were at least 10 Democrats on the Armed Services Committee, including Chairman Ike Skelton of Missouri. Two-term Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., an Iraq War veteran who added an amendment to the defense appropriations bill that would have repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell,” also lost.
Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif., 72, a nine-term veteran, is expected to replace Skelton as committee chairman. Wednesday, McKeon called for leaving military spending largely intact. Previously, he said he favored leaving “don’t ask don’t tell” on the books.
Congress could vote to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” during its lame-duck session, which begins on Nov. 15. But a Pentagon study on the impact of the repeal, which would allow gays and lesbians to serve openly, won’t be completed until Dec. 1 and many top military commanders are against repealing the ban.
“It’s hard to think of a Democrat who wants to risk the wrath even though people support” repealing ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ Lawrence Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a liberal research group.
Once the new Congress convenes in January, few expect the Republican House leadership to press the issue.
With the defeat of Murphy, there’s also no one with the credibility to offer up a repeal effort, Korb said.
“I don’t think there is anyone else,” Korb said.
A Republican-led House is also likely to clash with the Obama administration on other defense issues.
McKeon has been openly critical of the administration’s proposed one percent increase in the Pentagon budget, calling it “a Defense Department in decline.”
In a speech at the conservative Heritage Foundation earlier this year, McKeon called a proposed decrease in weapons acquisition money “a sizeable and unacceptable decrease.”
“One percent real growth over the next five years is a net cut for investment and procurement accounts,” he said. “Pressures on the defense budget . . . warrant a higher top line.”
McKeon promised Wednesday to sustain the defense budget and said he intended tougher questioning of the administration’s Afghanistan and terrorism policies.
“We must place a renewed emphasis on oversight,” he said. “Our efforts will be relevant and directly tied to the front-line war fighter in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the protection of the U.S. homeland.”
The Senate refused to take up the defense spending bill for fiscal year 2011, which began on Oct. 1, over Murphy’s amendment to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who survived a bruising re-election campaign, said Wednesday that he hopes to bring the legislation up for a vote during the lame-duck session.
However, he warned that such bills take a lot of time and that it may not be ready before the new Congress convenes next year.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy