President Biden on Monday signed a $768 billion defense spending bill that includes funds for a 2.7 percent pay raise for the troops — but lamented that it did not provide money to remove terror detainees from Guantánamo Bay.
Top Democrats have long advocated for the closure of the military prison at the US Navy base in Cuba, a drive that has been met with sharp pushback from Republicans.
In a statement, Biden argued that two sections of the bill barring the use of federal funds to transfer detainees to certain foreign nations or the US unless specific conditions are met “unduly impair the ability of the executive branch to determine when and where to prosecute Guantánamo Bay detainees and where to send them upon release.
“In some circumstances these provisions could make it difficult to comply with the final judgment of a court that has directed the release of a detainee on a writ of habeas corpus,” added the president, who urged Congress to “eliminate these restrictions as soon as possible.”
nypost.com/2021/12/27/biden-complains-768b-defense-bill-wont-let-him-close-gitmo/