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.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

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."