Guantanamo Prison Set to Remain Open as Congress Debates New Year of Funding – By Katherine Gypson (VOA News) / July 18, 2023
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate is set to begin debate on the annual massive military spending bill this week. As in years past, the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, will include language prohibiting the use of funds to close Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. military prison established in 2002 during the War on Terror.
The Senate version of the NDAA currently being debated not only extends the restrictions on closing or modifying the facility; it bans the transfer of detainees to Afghanistan, Libya, the United States, Somalia, Syria, or Yemen. It also directs the Department of Defense to begin planning for the medical needs of the aging population at Guantanamo.
The White House told VOA Tuesday it strongly opposes the prohibitions.
“These provisions would interfere with the President’s ability to determine the appropriate disposition of GTMO detainees and to make important foreign policy and national security determinations regarding whether and under what circumstances to transfer detainees to the custody or effective control of foreign countries,” a spokesperson said.
