Gay Rights Lobby Sees Victories and Room for More Action after Votes on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy
During the first quarter of 2010, only a handful of organizations reported lobbying on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding gays in the military, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of lobbying reports that explicitly mentioned this measure.
Most of the groups identified by the Center supported a repeal of the policy.
These include the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Human Rights Campaign, Log Cabin Republicans, the Center for American Progress, People for the American Way, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Association of University Women and the American Bar Association.
The majority of these groups did not report large lobbying operations. In fact, the median amount spent on all federal lobbying among these organizations -- on all issues, not just repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- was $60,000.
The Center also identified at least two conservative groups that oppose a repeal as lobbying on the issue during the first quarter: the Traditional Values Coalition and the Family Research Council. Each of these groups spent about $25,000 on all federal lobbying during the first quarter.
Military Families United and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America also reported lobbying activity on the policy, but the lobbying reports do not specify whether they were advocating for or against the repeal. Neither organization returned calls from OpenSecrets Blog to clarify.
(Update 5:15 PM: A spokesman for Military Families United clarified to OpenSecrets Blog that the organization does not take a position either in favor of or in opposition to repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Rather, they have advocated that any measures regarding "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" not be included in budget bills, which might account for the policy appearing in their first-quarter lobbying report, he said.)
While advocates for gays and lesbians serving openly in the U.S. military haven't employed a legion of lobbyists -- especially when compared to the armies of lobbyists at work during the health care debate or financial regulatory reform fight -- they secured two legislative victories Thursday.
Members in both the House and Senate voted on a compromise amendment that lays the groundwork for the repeal of the 1993 law known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" regarding gays in the military without immediately repealing the policy.
The amendment -- authored in the House by Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.), an Iraq War veteran and the #2 recipient of money from gay rights interest this election cycle, and by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) in the Senate -- deems "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repealed, after certain criteria are met.
First, the Department of Defense needs to complete the study about implementing a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which is due in December, and develop a plan on how to repeal it.
Second, the president, Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs need to certify that the plan for implementing a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is "consistent with the standards of military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion and recruiting and retention of the Armed Forces."
Finally, Congress would have 60 days to review the plan for repeal before it was enacted.
Until all these criteria are met, the current "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy remains the law of the land.
The Senate Armed Services Committee approved this proposal on a 16-12 vote, and the House of Representatives added the measure to the fiscal year 2011 Department of Defense budget bill on a 234-194 vote.
In the Senate, Republican Susan Collins (R-Maine), who has collected more than $30,000 from gay rights interests over her career, was the sole Republican to support the measure. Sen. James Webb (D-Va.), meanwhile, was the only Democrat on the Armed Services Committee to vote against the compromise amendment. Since 2005, Webb has received $39,800 in campaign contributions from gay rights interests.
In the House, five Republicans joined with the Democratic majority to pass the measure, while 26 Democrats voted against it.
A majority of the Democrats who opposed the compromise amendment were members of the conservative Blue Dog Coalition. Just three of the Democrats who voted no have received money from gay rights interests over the years, and those contributions have been relatively small. Reps. Marion Berry (D-Ark.), Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) and Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) have received about $2,500 a piece during their congressional careers.
The five Republicans who supported the amendment were Reps. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), Joseph Cao (R-La.), Charles Djou (R-Hawaii), Ron Paul (R-Texas) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.).
Biggert has received more than $56,000 from gay rights interests over her career, and Ros-Lehtinen has raised more than $39,500 from these interests over the years.
Djou, a captain in the Army Reserves who was sworn into office on Tuesday after winning a special election on Saturday, was endorsed in that race by the Log Cabin Republicans for his "staunch" opposition to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." He has received $750 from gay rights interests this year.
Meanwhile, Cao has received just $250 from gay rights interests, and Paul has not received any contributions from these interests.
The Advocate has also reported that Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.), who voted against the amendment, will face-off against a gay Democratic challenger in November. Through May 19, Bono Mack had about twice as much cash on hand as this Democratic opponent, Steve Pougnet.
After these votes, supporters of a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" expressed enthusiasm, but vowed to keep fighting on.
"Patriotic Americans willing to take a bullet for their country should never be forced to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love," Murphy said in a statement after the House vote. "I will not rest until the repeal of this discriminatory policy that hurts national security is signed into law."
"The U.S. House and Representatives and the Senate Armed Services Committee passed a historic road map to allowing open military service, but it doesn't end the discharges," added Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network in a press release.
President Barack Obama also praised these actions.
"I am pleased that both the House of Representatives and the Senate Armed Services Committee took important bipartisan steps toward repeal tonight," Obama said in a statement. "This legislation will help make our Armed Forces even stronger and more inclusive by allowing gay and lesbian soldiers to serve honestly and with integrity."
Some Senate Republicans, including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who had previously been supportive of a repeal approved by the Pentagon and was endorsed by the Log Cabin Republicans during his 2008 presidential bid against Obama, are threatening to filibuster the Department of Defense budget due to the inclusion of Lieberman's amendment on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
"I deeply regret that the Senate Armed Services Committee voted today to pass the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' amendment," McCain said in a statement Thursday. "I am concerned that the men and women of our military will view this preemptive political action as a deep sign of disrespect and unwillingness to consider their views."
Michael Beckel, Money-in-Politics Reporter. Michael joined the Center for Responsive Politics in February 2009 as a communications and administrative assistant before assuming his current post in December 2009. In it, Michael writes extensively for the Center's OpenSecrets Blog about the influence of money in politics. Previously, he completed a yearlong editorial fellowship with Mother Jones magazine, wrote for two alternative newsweeklies in Colorado and performed legislative research and nonpartisan voter education at Project Vote Smart. He is a 2005 graduate of Colorado College.
