Republican House Bill Blocks Guantanamo Closing

The very same people who accuse President Obama of breaking a promise not to close Guantanamo’s prison are blocking him from doing so.

The provisions dealing with the fate of the remaining 166 prisoners are part of a defense policy bill drafted by Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif…

McKeon has said he is open to a proposal to close Guantanamo, but like other Republicans has criticized the White House for lacking a workable plan for what to do with the detainees there and where terrorists captured in the future would be housed.

The bill would keep the naval detention center open by prohibiting the Defense Department from spending any money to construct or modify facilities in the United States to house terror suspects from Guantanamo. The restriction would apply from the bill’s enactment through 2014.

It also would bar the Pentagon from spending any money to transfer prisoners to the United States or a foreign country. The bill provides a waiver, but the Defense Department would have to make several certifications to Congress.

By: jybarz