美国参议院星期二就是否继续辩论一项立法进行表决。这个法案包括结束实施了将近20年的禁止同性恋公开在军中服役的法律。参议院多数党领袖里德给这个高达 7千250亿美元的庞大军费开支法案增加了一个议案，该议案将终止“不问不说”的政策。根据这个法律，男女同性恋只要他们的性取向没有公开就可以在军中服役。自从这个政策1993年成为法律以来，大约有1万3千人从军队中退役。
参议院星期二将就是否结束有关这个国防法案的辩论进行投票，从而使得他们能够对法案进行最终的表决。但是即使这次投票获得了通过，以亚利桑那州参议员麦凯恩为首的共和党议员承诺要通过程序上的操作把这个条款从国防法案中去除。很多人希望等到国防部完成了对取消禁止同性恋公开在军中服役的法令会对军人产生什么影响进行审核之后再投票。
The U.S. Senate holds a vote Tuesday on whether to move forward with legislation that includes ending the nearly two-decade-old law that bans homosexuals from openly serving in the U.S. military. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid added a measure to a massive $725 billion military spending bill that would end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Under the law, gays and lesbians can serve in the military as long as their sexual orientation is not disclosed. About 13,000 people have been discharged from the military since the policy was enacted in 1993.
The Senate votes Tuesday on whether to end debate on the defense bill so a final vote can be held. But even if the vote is successful, opposition Republican lawmakers, led by Arizona Senator John McCain, have pledged to use procedural maneuvers to strip the measure from the spending bill. Many want to wait until the Pentagon completes a review on what effect lifting the ban would have on the troops.