Washington ( CNN ) -- A preliminary U.S. Navy plan to allow its chaplains to perform same-sex marriages in military chapels after the end of `` do n't ask , do n't tell '' has fired up congressional opposition . All services are moving forward with the transition from the present ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in uniform . Top Pentagon officials are expected to sign off on the new rules and the progress of training in coming weeks . An April 13 memo from the Navy officer in charge of chaplains says they `` may '' officiate at same-sex marriages or civil unions , depending on both local laws and their religious organization . It is not clear if the other services would have a similar provision . `` Regarding the use of base facilities for same-sex marriages , legal counsel has concluded that , generally speaking , base facility use is sexual orientation-neutral , '' Rear Adm. Mark Tidd , the Navy 's chief of chaplains , said in the memo . `` This is a change to previous training that stated same-sex marriages are not authorized on federal property . '' After the pending rule change was reported in the Navy Times and Stars and Stripes newspapers , it drew criticism from dozens of members of Congress . A letter from Rep. Todd Akin , R-Missouri , to the secretary of the Navy asking him to block the change has been signed by 63 members of Congress , according to Akin 's website . Akin says the Navy 's permission for gay weddings in military chapels , once the current policy formally is ended , would violate the federal Defense of Marriage Act . `` While a state may legalize same-sex marriage , federal property and federal employees , like Navy chaplains , should not be used to perform marriages that are not recognized by federal law , '' Akin said on his website . `` My colleagues and I are calling on the secretary of the Navy to make sure that the Navy actually follows the law . As we state in the letter , 'It is not the place of any citizen of this country to pick and choose which laws they are going to obey . We expect citizens sworn to defend those laws to set the example in their application . ' '' The Pentagon said in a statement Monday that the Defense of Marriage Act `` does not limit the type of religious ceremonies a chaplain may perform in a chapel on a military installation . '' However , while the Defense of Marriage Act still stands , the Defense Department would not recognize those unions as valid marriages even if they 're performed in a state that recognizes same-sex marriages . Cmdr . Danny Hernandez , the Navy 's assistant chief of information , told CNN that under the same-sex marriage proposal , each chaplain would be bound by his own religious beliefs . `` A chaplain can conduct a same-sex ceremony if it is in the tenets of his faith , '' Hernandez said . And he said the policy would have no impact on military benefits . When Defense Secretary Robert Gates and others announced that the Pentagon would end the `` do n't ask , do n't tell '' policy , they made it clear that benefits for spouses and survivors are a complicated issue that would require more study and planning .
A Navy proposal brings a new round of congressional opposition . The House Armed Services Committee is expected to vote on the plan next week and send it back for further study by the full committee. A letter signed by 63 members of Congress says the change would violate federal law .