The White House issued a formal veto threat Tuesday on a bill to stop transfers out of Guantanamo Bay that the House will consider this week.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., would prohibit any prisoner transfers until either Jan. 1 or the National Defense Authorization Act becomes law, whichever comes first.
It would essentially end any hope the president has of closing Guantanamo Bay before his presidency ends in January.
The veto message states that keeping the detention center open actually hurts American national security, and emphasized the rigorous review process surrounding each transfer to ensure it is carried out in a safe way that minimizes the chances of a detainee engaging in terrorism after his release.
“This bill represents an effort not only to extend the facility’s operation — as have the other unwarranted legislative restrictions on transfers – but to bring to a standstill the substantial progress the administration has made in safely and securely reducing the facility’s population,” the message says.
Guantanamo Bay houses 61 detainees. President Obama has picked up the pace of transfers from the detention center in 2016, sending 46 detainees to third-party countries, including the largest transfer of his presidency last month when 15 detainees headed to the United Arab Emirates.
Walorski said the veto threat shows that Obama is continuing to “put politics ahead of our national security.”
“This administration is so intent on fulfilling a campaign promise to close Gitmo that it’s released more than three dozen detainees this year and cleared another 20 for transfer. Their opposition to my bill blocking further transfers until new safeguards are in place is not surprising, but it is disappointing,” she said.
