Gillibrand: DADT Bill Not Happening

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) has given up on her proposed bill to suspend the enforcement of DADT, saying she cannot find enough support for passage. Via Washington Blade:

Matt Canter, a Gillibrand spokesperson, told the Blade on Wednesday that the senator determined there weren’t 60 votes available for a vote of cloture on the amendment. “She was working for about a week to assess support among her colleagues for the measure,” he said. “It does not appear that we’re going to have the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. So she’s not going to pursue the moratorium amendment at this time.” Canter said Gillibrand is working with senators “to continue to highlight the issue and move forward on the issue.” Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) is slated to introduce a bill for full repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the Senate. In the House, Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) took over as lead sponsor of repeal legislation earlier this month.