Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) sent a letter to Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nv.) today stating that the entire GOP senate caucus will block cloture votes on any issue, including the planned 2011 Defense Authorization bill that includes repeal language for the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, until funding for the government and tax issues are settled, according to the Washington Post.

McConnell and the 41 other GOP senators are calling for an extension of the Bush-era tax cuts that are set to expire Dec. 31.

All 42 current Republican senators signed the letter to the Majority Leader.

The Senate failed to move forward with a cloture vote on the Defense Authorization previously, after Republican senators objected to the procedure of allowing amendments to the bill. Many activists felt Reid used DADT repeal as a political tool ahead of the 2010 mid-term elections.

The letter comes on the heels of the release of a Pentagon study on DADT earlier in the week. The Senate Armed Services Committee is scheduled to hold hearings on the report Thursday and Friday of this week.