Via Servicemembers United:

Dear Servicemembers United Supporter, The Washington Blade just broke the story that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid finally intends to schedule the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for debate next week, and this news has critical implications for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." If Senator Reid follows through with this commitment, both NDAA and DADT should get a final vote before the Senate breaks for mid-terms, saving us from the free-for-all of a lame duck session after the mid-terms. This means that our efforts to lobby the Senate are now especially critical. We're about to have one last shot to push DADT repeal over the finish line, and we need you in Washington, DC this Thursday to help with that effort. The fall DADT Lobby Day, affectionately termed "The Final Assault," is taking place this Thursday, September 16th, and we need all the extra lobbying support we can get, especially now that NDAA has finally been scheduled for debate and a vote. Please join us for "THE FINAL ASSAULT" on DADT in Washington this Thursday, Sept. 16th. If you can make it to Washington, DC this Thursday, please go here to register immediately for the DADT Lobby Day. Lobbying appointments will be scheduled for, and details will be sent to, those who register. United we can do this! Alex Nicholson Executive Director Servicemembers United ----------------- SU Press Release on Authorization Bill Scheduling ----------------- Senator Reid Schedules Defense Authorization Bill for Next Week Pressure on Majority Leader Pays Off as Thursday Lobby Day Becomes Critical FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 09/13/2010 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Servicemembers United, the nation's largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans, applauded today's announcement by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office that Senator Reid will finally bring the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) up for debate during the week of September 20th. The NDAA contains an important provision that would authorize the repeal of the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law, in addition to authorizations for annual pay and equipment funding for the entire military. "We are both pleased and relieved that Senator Reid has decided to schedule the defense authorization bill for floor time next week," said Alexander Nicholson, founder and Executive Director of Servicemembers United. "We are fairly confident that we will have the 60 votes to break a filibuster of this bill. It would be shameful for lawmakers to vote to hold up an important and expansive piece of legislation like the defense authorization bill simply because of their opposition to one or two provisions within it." Servicemembers United has been leveling sustained, heavy pressure on Senator Reid over the delay in allowing the NDAA to move forward, including sharp criticism just this morning in the Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill ("Reid My Lips: No Forgiveness for No NDAA in September"). A Senate-focused "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" lobby day, nicknamed "The Final Assault," is scheduled for this Thursday, September 16th in Washington, DC. Anyone interested in participating in this effort should register immediately at www.ServicemembersUnited.org. ### Servicemembers United, a non-profit and non-partisan organization, is the nation's largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans and their allies. Based in Washington, DC, Servicemembers United actively engages in education and advocacy on issues affecting the gay military, veteran, and defense community.

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