“Specifically, is it the policy of the Air Force and/or other branches of the armed services to allow only those individuals who agree with the president on all matters of policy to participate in ministry events they host?”

The current and former House Republican Whips are calling on Defense Secretary Robert Gates to explain the “written or unwritten policies” that led the Air Force to rescind its invitation to conservative leader Tony Perkins from speaking at a national prayer luncheon at Andrews Air Force Base because he disagrees with President Obama’s policy on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

In a letter Gates dated March 4, Reps. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) told the defense secretary they were “concerned” that a “new litmus test” was being applied when the Air Force changed its mind about letting Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, participate in the Feb. 25 event “because statements posted on the organization he leads are purportedly at odds with the positions of the president” — statements condemning Obama’s intention to change the military policy on homosexuality.

“This action troubles us a great deal,” the congressmen wrote, “not only in this particular case, but because of the implications for anyone who might disagree with the administration in the future.”

The congressmen labeled the Air Force action as a “new litmus test.”

“The luncheon in which Dr. Perkins, a former Marine, was scheduled to participate was designed as a time of prayer, not of policy discussion,” the congressmen noted.