Obama may use executive action to close Guantanamo Bay
Obama may use executive action to close Guantanamo Bay
President Obama is reportedly considering using an executive order to close the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Senior administration officials told the Wall Street Journal that the White House is drafting options that would allow the president to close the prison "by overriding a congressional ban on bringing detainees to the U.S."
One route Obama can take to accomplish this end would be to veto the annual defense spending bill, which stipulates that the president cannot move any of Gitmo's 149 inmates to the U.S. According to The Hill, Congress would then be forced to override the veto with a two-thirds majority, or risk cutting off funding for the military.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Obama's other option is to sign the defense spending legislation, but include a clause that declares the "restrictions on detainee transfers unconstitutional."
Republican House Speaker John Boehner, meanwhile, reacted by accusing the White House of "lawlessness."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The 8 best hospital dramas of all timethe week recommends From wartime period pieces to of-the-moment procedurals, audiences never tire of watching doctors and nurses do their lifesaving thing
-
‘Implementing strengthened provisions help advance aviation safety’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How Manchesterism could change the UKThe Explainer The idea involves shifting a centralized government to more local powers
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
