Yoho Statement on President's Proposal to Close Gitmo

Statement

Congressman Ted S. Yoho (R-FL-03) released the following statement on the President's proposal to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility:

"Today, the president continued his political swan song by announcing a campaign promise to close Guantanamo. The announcement to close a detention facility which holds dangerous individuals, who have plotted and carried out attacks on the United States, is ridiculous. His plan calls for transferring a portion of the detainees to their home countries and the remaining to the United States. Where exactly? The president has no idea. Members of Congress and the American people have made it clear; they do not want these dangerous terrorists on American soil.

"It baffles me that our president can blatantly miss a congressionally mandated deadline to come up with a strategy to defeat ISIS but can come up with an incomplete plan to close Guantanamo. His actions today demonstrate his willingness to put his legacy before the best interests of the American people.

"In addition to Congress already taking preventative measures to bar detainees from being transferred to the United States, which he signed into law, I introduced a bill, the Guantanamo Transfer Prevention Act (HR 4126) that prevents these transfers from happening. For the president to close Guantanamo, current law must be changed, new legislation must be written, approved by Congress, and sent to the president's desk. I don't see this happening.

"We live in a dangerous world and there are plenty of people that wish America harm. This is not a scare tactic, it is a reality. I will not support any plan which will allow dangerous terrorists in our custody, to be transferred to the United States."

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