Rob Andrews: “The best way to defend this country is to have every person who is willing to serve her have the opportunity to do so…”

“The best way to defend this country is to have every person who is willing to serve her have the opportunity to do so and who is able to do so. That's the intention of the Murphy amendment which, frankly, there have been a series of misrepresentations about. Let's set the record straight. If the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff believe, after listening to the input of our service personnel, after reviewing the facts, if they believe that implementation of this policy would in any way undercut the readiness or effectiveness of our Armed Forces, they will not certify the policy, and it will not happen. This policy will happen only when the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff say that it's the right thing to do for this country. The right thing to do for this country is not to ask someone what church they go to, what country they came from, what color they are, or what their sexual orientation is. It's to ask if they're willing and able to serve, and that is what we are going to do.”