The president lacks the legal authority to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, and that will not change before he leaves office, the Republican head of the House Homeland Security Committee said Friday.

“The answer is no,” Texas Rep. Michael McCaul said in a Fox News interview responding to the question of whether the president could make the move happen. “We passed the national defense authorization bill last Congress that prohibits him from closing Guantanamo Bay. That bill is up for reauthorization … I’m a conferee to the report, and we are going to hold firm on this.”