Today, Rep. Earl Blumenauer released the following statement regarding the Smith-Amash Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (NDAA):
Today I voted in favor of the Smith-Amash Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. This amendment repeals the most egregious detainee provisions -- making absolutely clear that the U.S. cannot indefinitely detain anyone on U.S. soil, completely removes mandatory military custody requirements, and requires expedited transfer for trial . I expressed concern about the uncertainty of these provisions when I voted against last year's NDAA and I am disappointed that this amendment was voted down by my colleagues. I will continue to fight to eliminate these and other egregious detainee provisions from law and push for further reform to protect Americans civil liberties and moral standing.