Hagel orders National Guards to
grant same-sex benefits
By Jeremy Herb
October 31, 2013, 08:00 pm
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Thursday ordered all
state National Guards to grant same-sex
couples full benefits after nine states have refused to do so.
In a speech at the Anti-Defamation
League in New York
Thursday, Hagel said that he was directing the state Guards to issue same-sex
couples ID cards and the benefits that come with them. He asked National Guard
Chief Gen. Frank Grass to meet with the Guard state leaders in the nine states
in order to resolve the issue.
“Not only does this violate the
states’ obligations under federal law, their actions have created hardship and
inequality by forcing couples to travel long distances to federal military bases
to obtain the ID cards they’re entitled to,” Hagel said, according to prepared
remarks of his speech.
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The dispute over military ID cards
was sparked by the Supreme Court’s decision in June to strike down the Defense
of Marriage Act.
In response to the ruling, the
Pentagon issued a directive saying it would offer full benefits to same-sex
couples.
But nine state National Guards,
beginning with Texas, said they would not offer ID cards to same-sex couples,
arguing that doing so conflicted with their state laws banning same-sex
marriage.
The states said that couples could
receive ID cards by traveling to federal facilities.
The other state National Guards
that have not processed applications for ID cards are Indiana, Georgia,
Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia.
A senior defense official said
Hagel is prepared “to take further action” if the states do not comply with the
Pentagon directive on benefits for same-sex spouses.
Hagel announced the Guard order
Thursday in his keynote address for the Anti-Defamation League’s Centennial
dinner, which was honoring his predecessor, Leon Panetta.
The defense official said Hagel
was the first acting Defense secretary to speak before the organization in 20
years.
Hagel was speaking at the ADL
Thursday after the group's leader, Abe Foxman, had expressed reservations about
his appointment as Defense secretary.
Foxman had said in December 2012
that Hagel’s “record relating to Israel and the U.S.-Israel
relationship is, at best, disturbing, and at worst, very troubling."
His group ultimately opted not to
take a position on Hagel's confirmation, which faced stiff opposition from
Republicans and some pro-Israel groups. He was narrowly confirmed in a 58-41
Senate vote in February.
In his speech Thursday, Hagel
announced that he was working with the Israeli government to provide Israel with six
new V-22 Ospreys.
Hagel also made the case for
pursuing diplomacy with Iran
over its nuclear program, which Israeli leaders have warned will not stop Iran's nuclear
ambitions.
"As we engage Iran with our partners, we are very clear-eyed
about reality in the Middle East," Hagel
said. "But foreign policy is not a zero-sum game. If we can find ways to
resolve disputes peacefully, we are wise
to explore them.
"Engagement is not
appeasement, nor is it containment," he added. "We know what those
are, we know where they lead, and we will not pursue them."
Same-Sex
Clifford S.
Asness supported same-sex marriage
in New York,
a leadership council member for the Robin
Hood Foundation, and is a director at the International Rescue Committee.
Note: Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Robin Hood Foundation, and the International
Rescue Committee.
George
Soros is the chairman for the Foundation
to Promote Open Society, and the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.
Open
Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United
States (think tank).
Chuck
Hagel is the chair for the Atlantic
Council of the United States
(think tank), and the secretary for the U.S. Department of Defense.
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