Wilson says he hopes to reinstate DADT - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Wilson says he hopes to reinstate DADT

The new Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s military personnel panel says he will hold hearings to look at the Pentagon’s plans allow openly gay people to serve, and he will look for chances to reinstate the ban lifted by Congress in December.

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., who became the personnel subcommittee chairman on Wednesday when the 112th Congress convened, said it was “irresponsible” for Congress to repeal the ban on openly gay service members without giving the House of Representatives time to hold hearings into what is involved in changing the law and how the change might effect current and future service members.

Wilson said he wants the service chiefs to testify before the armed services committee about how they plan to repeal the ban. Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the full armed services committee, said battlefield commanders, down to the battalion level, might be called to testify about whether lifting the ban will hurt morale and readiness.

Wilson said he personally believes that lifting the ban “will hurt unit cohesion” and that he “would support the repeal of the repeal” if House Republican leaders take on that fight.

Reversing course would be difficult. There might be enough votes in the Republican-controlled House to reinstate the ban, but the Senate remains under Democratic control.

Armed services committee aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said hearings will focus on implementation issues, from housing to benefits to changes in criminal laws — which would have the effect of slowing down the change.

Under the law enacted in December, repeal may take effect only after the president, defense secretary and chairman of the Joint Chiefs certify that implementation plans have been prepared with an eye toward minimizing disruption and maintaining morale and readiness.

Aides denied this was an effort specifically to delay the change to give more time to undo the law. “Let’s just say we want to look, in detail, at how this would be done and what problems might arise, and don’t see the need to rush,” said one Republican aide.