[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 166 (Wednesday, November 20, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H7265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          DECREASING SPENDING

  (Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, yesterday The Washington Times 
reported that the U.S. is now spending millions on life skills and art 
seminars for prisoners at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The paper said a 
multimillion dollar Federal contract is teaching Gitmo detainees basic 
landscaping, calligraphy, and Microsoft PowerPoint, among other 
seminars and library services.
  Last July, the Comptroller of the Defense Department reported that 
the cost of keeping Guantanamo prison open during 2013 would be an 
astounding $454 million for just 164 prisoners. This comes out to 
roughly $2.7 million per year for each one of these detainees held in 
the prison camp. This compares to $72,000 per year per prisoner in 
Federal high security prisons. Because the Federal Government is so 
wasteful and inefficient, States are housing State prisoners for half 
that amount.
  The taxpayers of this Nation should not be forced to spend $454 
million to give the good life to former terrorists. They should be sent 
to the most unpleasant prison in the U.S., but this and other abuses of 
U.S. taxpayers will continue until we drastically downsize the Federal 
Government and greatly decrease its funding.

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