Senate Panel OK's Ending 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

It's first formal step toward scrapping ban
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted May 27, 2010 6:06 PM CDT
Senate Panel OK's Ending 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
A 2006 file photo of U.S. Air Force Reservist Maj. Margaret Witt, who was dismissed for being a lesbian. Her appeal is still in the court system.   (AP Photo/John Froschauer, File)

The end is near, or nearer, for Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The Senate Armed Service Committee today approved a measure to scrap the ban on gays in the military, reports the Washington Post. It's the first step in a legislative compromise: The full House will vote tonight or tomorrow, and the full Senate will follow suit next month.

It's expected to pass both chambers, with the provision that it won't become law until the Defense Department completes its review of the impact on troops. That report, which could theoretically torpedo the repeal, is due in December. (More Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal stories.)

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