- some think it will make us unsafe. We think (in addition to not making us unsafe) it’ll save taxpayers money. While the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is a done deal, the Government Accountability Office nevertheless conducted a study on the fiscal impact of the program. After reviewing all cases of expulsion under the program over the last six years, they found that maintaining the program was quite costly (and we don’t mean from an emotional standpoint).
- $193 million to implement the program over six years
- $52k cost of expelling each service member (this includes finding and training replacements)
- 39% of those expelled either spoke a foreign language, or held a “critical occupation” in the military source