The House of Representatives has voted to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy concerning gays in the military, 250-175.
The measure now proceeds to the Senate, where sponsors Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) say they have the 60 votes necessary to pass the bill, according to Fox News. A previous attempt to repeal the DADT policy was folded into a larger military appropriations bill, but failed in the Senate last week, an outcome widely attributed to procedural blunders by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). This was viewed as perhaps the last opportunity to push repeal through the House before the new Republican majority takes over in the 112th Congress.
The Senate has not yet announced when it will take up this new measure from the House. President Obama has long supported repeal of the DADT policy.