Roll Call explains:
Senate Democrats may be having second thoughts about giving President Barack Obama money to close down the military prison and terrorism detainee center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) indicated Wednesday afternoon that Democratic leaders were not yet settled on including $50 million for the prison’s closure in the upcoming $97 billion supplemental war spending bill. Asked whether there was any question about the Senate Appropriations Committee including the funds at their markup Thursday, Reid said, "Sure, there's a question."
Though Obama has promised to close the prison by the end of the year, he has not laid out a plan for where to relocate the hundreds of suspected terrorists who are housed there, including the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Many Members — particularly those with maximum security federal prisons in their states — worry about a public backlash if the detainees are sent their areas, and Republicans have started a message war over the dangers of sending Guantánamo prisoners to the United States.
One senior Senate Democratic aide acknowledged that the majority might not have the votes to retain the funding once the bill hits the Senate floor next week.
France has agreed to take one Gitmo detainee--which many people are using as an opportunity to poke fun at the French, but remember, they're doing more than just about every other country.
Related post:
Report from the GOP Whip Team bloggers' teleconference about military voting and Gitmo
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