Republican Congressman Buck McKeon on
Thursday said that allowing gay troops to serve openly is a settled
issue.
McKeon, who as chairman of the House
Armed Services Committee attempted to block repeal of “Don't Ask,
Don't Tell,” the law which for 18 years banned gay and bisexual
service members from serving openly, said that he would not try to
reverse the law even if Mitt Romney won the White House in November
and the GOP returned to power in the Senate.
“We fought that fight,” McKeon told
reporters, according to the AP. He added that his goal is to “get
the things that our warfighters need.”
“That's not something that I would
personally bring up,” McKeon said of a bill to reinstate the gay
ban.
(Related: Buck
McKeon: Military chaplains being “forced” to officiate gay
weddings.)
McKeon's remarks come as the Pentagon
prepares to hold its first-ever
Gay Pride celebration.
Congress passed and President Barack
Obama signed legislation repealing “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” in
December 2010. The policy change took effect last September.
Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta said last month that repeal has had no impact on morale,
readiness or unit cohesion.