[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 30 (Thursday, February 25, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S1046]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PLAN TO CLOSE THE GUANTANAMO BAY DETENTION FACILITY
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, for years, I have consistently opposed
efforts by Congress to restrict the Obama administration's ability to
close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. The indefinite
detention without trial of detainees at Guantanamo contradicts our most
basic principles of justice, degrades our international standing, and
harms our national security. The mere existence of this facility serves
as a recruitment tool for terrorists, and the facility costs American
taxpayers more than $4 million per detainee each year--an astonishing
amount of money that could be repurposed to keep our men and women in
uniform safe.
I recently received a letter from former Marine Corps Commandant
Charles Krulak, co-signed by an additional 60 retired generals and
admirals that noted ``closing Guantanamo is not just a national
security imperative, it is about reestablishing the core values of who
we are as a nation.'' I could not agree more. I ask unanimous consent
that General Krulak's letter be printed in the Record at the conclusion
of my remarks.
Last May, I wrote a letter to President Obama urging him to expedite
the transfer of cleared detainees to foreign countries and accelerate
the periodic review board process to determine if additional detainees
could be transferred. Since that time, the President has made progress
toward closing the Guantanamo detention facility. To date, only 91
detainees remain, and top national security officials have already
cleared 35 of those detainees for transfer to foreign countries. I am
encouraged that the plan unveiled by the administration yesterday
morning calls for accelerating the review process to determine if
additional detainees can be transferred, as I urged, and for completing
that process by the fall.
Now that President Obama has delivered a plan, Congress must do its
part and lift the unnecessary and counterproductive restrictions on
transferring detainees to the United States, so that we can finally
shutter Guantanamo once and for all. We should all want to see
additional detainees finally brought to justice in our Federal court
system, which has a long and proven track record in terrorism
prosecutions--unlike the military commission system that has been
bogged down in legal challenges and procedural hurdles.
The detention facility at Guantanamo Bay has been a stain on our
national reputation for more than 14 years. Closing Guantanamo is the
morally and fiscally responsible thing to do, and it is long past time
to stop the fear-mongering so we can work together to close it down.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
February 23, 2016.
Dear Senator Leahy: I represent a coalition of more than 60
retired generals and admirals of the United States Armed
Forces who have for years advocated the responsible closure
of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. I write to urge
you to give serious consideration to the recently submitted
Department of Defense plan to close the detention facility at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Closing Guantanamo is in our national
security interest, and with the submission of the DOD plan,
there is a unique opportunity for Congress to lift the
remaining restrictions on transferring detainees so that
Guantanamo can be closed.
Guantanamo continues to impose significant costs to our
national security. As an offshore detention facility that--
rightly or wrongly--represents to the world an image of
detainee abuse and violations of the rule of law, Guantanamo
undermines counterterrorism cooperation with allies and
unnecessarily bolsters the propaganda and recruiting
narratives that terrorists seek to advance. It is a travesty
that the trial of the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks
remains bogged down at Guantanamo nearly 15 years after 9/11.
The issue of what to do with Guantanamo is not a political
issue. There is near unanimous agreement from our nation's
top military, intelligence, and law enforcement leaders that
Guantanamo should be closed. Even President George W. Bush,
who opened Guantanamo after the 9/11 attacks, tried to close
it, noting that ``the detention facility had become a
propaganda tool for our enemies and a distraction for our
allies.''
We understand that some fear bringing even a small number
of detainees to the United States as part of the plan to
close Guantanamo. However, we are confident that those
detainees can be held safely and securely stateside. Hundreds
of terrorists are already being held in U.S. prisons--
including one former Guantanamo detainee who is serving a
life sentence. Rather than trying to invoke fear, we should
applaud these communities that have successfully and safely
detained society's worst without incident. In any event, the
risks of keeping Guantanamo open far outweigh any risks
associated with closing it.
In the coming days and weeks, we plan on more closely
studying the Department of Defense's plan to close
Guantanamo, and we hope you will do the same. Closing
Guantanamo is not just a national security imperative, it is
about reestablishing the core values of who we are as a
nation, and we believe strongly that there must be a bi-
partisan approach to achieving that objective.
Semper Fidelis,
Charles C. Krulak,
General, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.).
(At the request of Mr. Reid, the following statement was ordered to
be printed in the Record.)
vote explanation
Mrs. McCASKILL. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for
today's vote on S. Res. 374, a resolution relating to the death of
Antonin Scalia, Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of the United
States. I would have voted yea.
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