Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

“Repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is not only the right thing to do in terms of upholding our nation’s commitment to equality, it also ensures that our military will be able to benefit from the skills of all Americans who wish to serve their country,” Bingaman said.

The new law stipulates that the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy will not take effect until 60 days after the President, Secretary of Defense, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff make certain certifications. In particular, that sufficient implementation procedures are in place to ensure the repeal could be carried out in a manner consistent with standards of military readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention.