Dem blasts Gitmo spending in House bill

In addition to the infrastructure funding, the bill released
by Armed Services Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) would once again prohibit
transferring detainees to the United States, as well as include restrictions
for transferring them to other countries.

{mosads}McKeon’s measure would strike at the heart of a renewed effort
from President Obama to close Guantánamo, a pledge he made in the first week of
his first term.

Obama said in a speech last month that he was making another
push to close the detention facility, which he called “a symbol around the
world for an America that flouts the rule of law.”

Obama said in his speech that he would be re-starting transfers
of cleared detainees to Yemen. Of the 86 detainees who have been cleared for
release, 56 are from Yemen.

Obama also said that he had told the Defense Department to
begin looking for a location to hold military commissions for detainees within
the United States, a key step in closing down Guantánamo.

One of the political obstacles Obama faces is finding a prison
on U.S. soil where detainees can be held, something that ran into bipartisan
opposition in 2009.

As the first legislation to deal with Gitmo since Obama’s speech, the Defense authorization bill is sure to generated heated debate over funding to Guantánamo and restrictions on transferring detainees. Smith said Monday that he would be proposing multiple amendments when the Defense authorization bill is marked
up on Wednesday “to help close this unnecessary and counterproductive facility.”

While Obama has backing from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to
close Gitmo, many Republicans are staunchly opposed to closing the prison. They
have warned that detainees who are released will re-enter the terror fight.

A report from the Director of National Intelligence last
year found 28 percent of 602 released detainees either re-engaged or are
suspected of re-joining the terror fight.