REP. CALVERT VOTES AGAINST FY2011 NDAA
Bill Included Controversial “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal
Washington,
Friday, May 28, 2010 -
Rep. Calvert (R-CA) voted against the FY2011 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which included an amendment that would repeal the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for gays in the military. The NDAA passed the House 229 to 186.
“I voted against the repeal of the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy. Currently, Administration policy allows persons to serve in the military without disclosing their personal sexual preference. In an April letter to the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said any effort to repeal the law before the Pentagon has had an opportunity to complete a review ‘would send a very damaging message to our men and women in uniform that in essence their views, concerns, and perspectives do not matter on an issue with such a direct impact and consequence for them and their families’.”
“I support the service chief’s unanimous opinion that any change should be done after thoughtful study and consideration of how the repeal would affect readiness, retention and exactly how it would be implemented.
“Instead, the Democratic Leadership allowed just ten minutes of debate on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to debate this far-reaching social policy change, which is wholly insufficient and completely dismisses the impact the repeal would have on our service members.”
“There is no doubt that military service demands sacrifice, on various levels, for a greater cause. However, the military is an institution based on the whole, not its parts, and to splinter people into categories, based on any qualifier, undermines the very foundation of our military.”
Rep. Calvert also voted against the following amendments:
- Amendment requiring the Director of National Intelligence to cooperate with GAO inquiries and perform audits initiated by Congressional Committees.
- Amendment would have killed the Joint Strike Fighter Alternate Engine Program
Rep Calvert voted for:
- An amendment which stated that World Trade Organization subsidies must be taken into account when the Department of Defense considers the KC-X (Tanker) contract decision.
- An amendment that would transfer the Troops to Teachers program from the Department of Education to the Department of Defense. It would also make several changes to the program that would expand eligibility for service members who have served on active duty since September 11, 2001, expand the number of schools eligible to participate in the program, and create an advisory board charged with improving awareness of the program, increasing participation, and ensuring that the program meets the needs of our schools and our veterans.
- An Amendment that included a provision which would force an investigation by the Department of Defense’s Inspector General into the conduct and practices of certain lawyers for terrorist detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The defense authorization bill authorizes $567 billion in budget authority for the Fiscal Year 2011 base budget of the Department of Defense and national security programs of the Department of Energy and authorizes $193 billion in funding to support operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Global War on Terrorism.
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