Pres. Joe Biden Signs $768 Billion Defense Bill, but Complains It Won’t Let Him Close Guantanamo Bay in Cuba

President Joe Biden has signed a $768 billion defense bill that includes a 2.7 percent pay raise for the troops but no funds to remove detainees from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

Biden lamented that the defense spending bill did not provide money to remove terror detainees from Guantanamo Bay military detention facility, The New York Post reported.

In a statement released on Monday, the president argued that two sections of the bill prohibit the use of federal funds to transfer detainees to certain foreign nations or the U.S. unless specific conditions are met.

In some circumstances, Joe Biden noted that the provisions could also 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.

The president then urged Congress to eliminate these restrictions as soon as possible. Joe Biden also objected to provisions in the bill mandating reports on the amount of U.S. military equipment destroyed during the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the threats posed by Iran-backed militias in the Middle East.

The president argued that such reports "will, in the ordinary course, include highly sensitive classified information, including information that could reveal critical intelligence sources or military operational plans."

"The Constitution vests the President with the authority to prevent the disclosure of such highly sensitive information in order to discharge his responsibility to protect the national security," Biden noted.

However, the president vowed to provide the information "with due regard for the protection from unauthorized disclosure of classified information relating to sensitive intelligence sources and methods or other exceptionally sensitive matters." He added that he believes Congress shares this understanding.

The spending bill includes $25 billion more than the White House had requested for defense spending. The Senate passed it by a vote of 89-10 on December 15. The House passed it with a 363-70 vote a week earlier.

The Defense Bill Signed by Joe Biden

Ninety-six percent of the funds are allocated to Department of Defense programs, with another $27.8 billion allocated for Department of Energy national security programs. The remaining $378 million would be for additional defense-related matters.

The White House has not spoken any reservations about the increased spending, Aljazeera reported. However, progressive groups and the dozens of lawmakers who voted against the bill have been calling for decreasing the defense budget and allotting more funds for domestic priorities, especially after the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Senator Bernie Sanders invoked Pentagon spending when criticizing Sen. Joe Manchin's refusal to support the Build Back Better legislation earlier this month.

Sanders said in a statement that he finds it amusing that Manchin was worried about the deficit after voting for a military budget worth four times greater than Build Back Better over ten years.

The U.S. military budget is noted to be the largest in the world, more than triple that of China, which is the second-biggest military spender.

Both parties' vast majority of lawmakers had backed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Many lauded the bill for pushing to modernize the U.S. military amid intensifying competition with China.

Republican Rep. Mike Turner described the signing of the NDAA into law as great news. However, the White House expressed misgivings on certain parts of the law, such as the provision that bans using funds to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay.

Most Democrats have long pushed for the closure of the military prison in the U.S. Navy base in Cuba, a plan that has met opposition from Republicans.

Guantanamo Bay in Cuba

Former President George W. Bush opened the detention facility in 2002 after the terrorist attacks of September 11, according to NBC News.

Guantanamo Bay held nearly 800 detainees at its peak. Currently, the facility houses about 40. The facility is also called Gitmo. It was used to house Muslim militants and suspected terrorists captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to Britannica.

The detention facility has become a spotlight of scrutiny after allegations of violations of the legal rights of detainees have been reported.

There were also accusations of torture or abusive treatment of detainees by U.S. authorities. It started receiving suspected members of al-Qaeda and fighters for the Taliban in 2002.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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