 In July 2009, Gillibrand announced she was considering introducing an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would impose an 18-month moratorium on the discharge of gays serving in the military.She decided against introducing the amendment, as she could not amass the 60 votes required to avoid a filibuster, but told "The Daily Beast" that she was able to secure the commitment of the Senate Armed Services Committee to hold hearings on "don't ask, don't tell" in the fall of 2009.However, the hearings were postponed and began on February 2, 2010.