Senate to Vote on Don’t Ask Repeal

A week after it seemed dead in the water, the law that would repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and allow gays to serve openly in the military could finally have the support it needs to clear the Senate. Three Republican senators agreed to back the measure on Thursday, which means a vote could begin as soon as Saturday. Those three—Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Olympia Snowe of Maine—in addition to 54 Democratic senators and two independents in favor of the repeal, would give the bill’s supporters the 60 votes to protect them from a filibuster. With the balance set to shift on Jan. 5, when new members are sworn in, Senate majority leader Harry Reid does not want to delay a vote and has threatened to reconvene the chamber after Christmas. Meanwhile, Republicans could try to call for amendments to the bill to slow down the process.