On the recordJuly 7, 2011
This amendment strikes a very dangerous precedent for Congress to somehow micromanage the training processes of military chaplains. We have military chaplains from diverse faith backgrounds. We have many faiths--in fact, the majority of faiths that, for instance, don't sanctify gay marriage. We have other faiths. The one that I happen to belong to--I am a member of a reformed Jewish faith--and there are many other Christian faiths, including the Episcopalian faith, which do sanction same-sex unions. Likewise, it's an important part of chaplain training that they're allowed to counsel against, for instance, homosexual acts or extramarital heterosexual acts. That's a part of chaplaincy training as well. For Congress to interfere with the military processes of chaplaincy training is absurd and unprecedented. With regard to this particular training program, I would like to ask my friend from Kansas (Mr. Huelskamp), if I could just yield a moment to him, if he has read this particular training manual that he is seeking to defund here. I yield to the gentleman from Kansas.
