U.S. House approves 'DADT' repeal

WASHINGTON, May 27 (UPI) -- The House of Representatives voted Thursday to allow the repeal of the ban on gays serving openly in the U.S. military, soon after a Senate panel did the same.

The vote in the House was 234-194 to lift the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" policy, McClatchy Newspapers reported.

The vote followed a 16-12 vote by the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"Discrimination against gays and lesbians takes a very real toll on our national security," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said prior to the historic vote. "Many of the arguments spoken in favor of the exclusion and expulsion of gays and lesbians from our military have been heard before -- when they were used to justify segregation."

The Senate committee vote on the measure, part of the annual defense authorization bill, came in closed session after about an hour of what Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, called "vigorous" debate, The New York Times reported.

Collins said she was the only Republican to vote in favor of repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, the newspaper said.

Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., said he believed the full Senate would approve the measure, the Times said.

In a statement issued by the White House Thursday, Obama said he was "pleased" at both the House and Senate votes, calling them "important bipartisan steps toward repeal."

"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."

Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., a member of the committee, had said he would vote for the measure after securing language that would delay the repeal for 60 days after certification of a military review by President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen.

"I did not want to blindly assent to repealing this law without giving the Congress an opportunity to re-examine the concerns of our armed forces and the manner in which they are being addressed," Byrd said prior to the panel's vote.

In a letter to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., the leaders of the four military branches have expressed opposition to any congressional action before the military completes its review.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Gates backed the compromise. Mullen's spokesman said the admiral also accepted the compromise language.