House Armed Services Committee chair Buck McKeon (R-CA), a staunch opponent of 'DADT' repeal, says he would sacrifice this year's defense spending bill over a recent instruction from the Pentagon that military chaplains would have the option, but not be required to perform marriages for gay couples.
McKeon's bill contains an amendment that would bar military chaplains from marrying gay people, and McKeon is prepared to hold firm on it, The Hill reports:
“I'm hopeful that the Senate will look at those votes and will understand our feelings on this issue,” McKeon said on the same-sex marriage issue.
“This was one of the concerns that we had – that we were rushing this, to eliminate this, before we had fully prepared things. And DOMA is the law of the land,” McKeon added, referencing the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 law that bans any federal recognition of gay marriage.
Another amendment bans terrorism suspects from getting civilian trials. McKeon isn't giving in on that either.
