WASHINGTON — Intent on delaying a new policy allowing gays to serve openly in the armed forces, the House voted Friday to prohibit military chaplains from performing same-sex marriages on the nation’s bases.
On a 236-184 vote, the House attached the measure to the defense spending bill, one of several steps the Republican-controlled chamber has taken this year to delay President Barack Obama’s new policy. Pentagon leaders have said they see no roadblocks to ending the 17-year ban, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is likely to certify the change for midsummer.
Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., sponsor of the amendment, said he wanted to ensure that “America’s military bases are not used to advance a narrow social agenda.”
“What will happen to chaplains who decline to officiate over same-sex ceremonies?” Huelskamp asked. “The directive states that chaplains ‘may’ perform same-sex civil marriage ceremonies. I fear that chaplains who refuse to perform these ceremonies may find themselves under attack and their careers threatened.”
Opponents of the amendment argued that more than a million members of the military have been trained on the new standard and Pentagon leaders see no adverse impact.
Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., an openly gay member of Congress, said it was “an offense to the military to second guess their training for chaplains.”
