Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) announced Wednesday that she would reverse course and support the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gay soldiers, which she had earlier opposed due to its inclusion as an amendment in the larger Defense Authorization Bill.
"After careful analysis of the comprehensive report compiled by the Department of Defense and thorough consideration of the testimony provided by the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the service chiefs, I support repeal of the 'don't ask, don't tell' law," Snowe said in a statement, provided by the Portland Press Herald.
The House voted on a measure Wednesday evening to reverse the policy in a vote that tallied 250 for to 175 against.
Snowe's Maine colleague, Sen. Susan Collins, along with Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Vt.) had been spearheading the effort to revamp the bill that failed to pass muster in the Senate last week, and reintroduce it as a standalone measure to overturn the military protocol.
The legislation will now advance to the Senate for a vote next week at the earliest, where Senators Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) could back the bill, improving its chances for passage.
On Wednesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told The Huffington Post that the Senate has the votes to repeal the controversial policy.