Says Repeal Would Have a 'Profoundly Negative Impact on Frontline Combat Forces'

Today, Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05) spoke on the House Floor urging his colleagues to keep the current Don't Ask Don't Tell policy in place for our armed forces. In a two-minute floor speech, Congressman Lamborn said he believes the recent Department of Defense survey on repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell was "fundamentally and fatally flawed." He also stated that repealing the policy would have a "profoundly negative impact on the readiness and effectiveness of our military, particularly among our frontline combat forces."

The complete transcript of Congressman Lamborn's remarks follows below.

Congressman Lamborn on the House Floor Calls on Congress to Keep Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy in Place

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Transcript of speech on the House Floor by Congressman Doug Lamborn:

I too am concerned that repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell would have a profoundly negative impact on the readiness and effectiveness of our military, particularly among our frontline combat forces.

The survey on repealing Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell was fundamentally and fatally flawed. Rather than asking the question – should the law be repealed – the survey presumed the law would be repealed and asked if our armed forces could implement the presumed change.

Additionally, the survey itself did reveal widespread concern about overturning the current law – but it was largely ignored in mainstream press coverage.

For example, among personnel who said they’ve served with a leader they believed to be gay or lesbian -- 91 percent of those who believe that this affected unit morale say that impact was mostly negative or mixed.

The mainstream media was reporting that 70 percent of the troops who responded to the survey said the repeal would be positive. In fact -- 20 percent said repeal would be positive while 50 percent said it would have mixed or no result.  

Sixty-seven percent of our front line Marines in combat arms units predict working alongside a gay man or lesbian will have a negative effect on their unit’s effectiveness.

We must not ignore the concerns of our combat troops. 

In the midst of two wars, Congress should not repeal a policy that has worked well over the past 17 years.

It is irresponsible for Congress to fail to pass a defense authorization bill for the first time in almost fifty years but at the last minute attempt to pass a repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell to placate the Democratic liberal base.

The United States military is not the place for social experiments. We should spend our time in Congress focused on ensuring that our brave men and women have the resources they need to protect this great nation instead of playing political, partisan games.

Note: The House voted to pass the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2965 – Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010, by a vote of 250 to 175. The stand-alone bill now goes to the Senate.

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