Led by Republican Representative Todd
Akin of Missouri, 63 members of the Republican caucus have forced the
Navy to table its decision to allow chaplains to officiate at gay
marriage and civil union ceremonies on base once “Don't Ask, Don't
Tell” is lifted, the AP reported.
The military's ban on open gay service
was repealed by Congress in December and the Pentagon has begun
training for the policy's end, which is expected before the end of
the year.
In an April 13 memorandum from chief of
Chaplains Rear Admiral Mark Tidd, the Navy said chaplains would be
allowed to officiate at ceremonies “consistent with the tenets of
his or her religious organization.”
In a letter to Navy Secretary Ray
Mabus, Akin and his colleagues warned that the Navy's plan violated
the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law that bans federal
agencies from recognizing the marriages of gay and lesbian couples.
“Mr. Secretary we find it
unconscionable that the United States Navy, a federal entity sworn to
'preserve and protect the Constitution of the United States' believes
it is their place alone to train and direct servicemembers to violate
federal law,” the
letter reads. “[We] agree with the vast majority of the
American people that the preservation of marriage is critical to
society's stability and is in the best interest of the American
families.”
Akin is also expected to introduce on
Wednesday an amendment to the annual defense budget that would forbid
military chaplains from officiating over gay unions.
In a one-sentence statement released
Tuesday, Tidd said his earlier decision has been “suspended until
further notice pending additional legal and policy review and
interdepartmental coordination.”