U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI)
A Wisconsin Congressman says he has some concerns about President Barack Obama’s proposed plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
The president’s plan, announced Tuesday morning would move detainees to other countries and to U.S. prisons. U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) sees a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the proposal though. “Like everything else up here, the devil is in the details,” Grothman said. “I think if he wants to shut it down, he ought to say this is where we’re going to put these people, this is the cost, these are the people who are going to be released.”
Obama is arguing the move would save Americans up to $85 million a year, which Grothman said is an issue worth exploring. “I would like to somebody investigate why it’s costing so much,” he said.
The 6th District Republican said another major concern he has is whether some detainees could be released, and whether they would just go back to being a threat to Americans. He pointed to a man recently arrest by Spanish and Moroccan police, who was part of a cell seeking to recruit fighters for the Islamic State. The man had previously been held at Guantanamo from 2002 to 2004. He was then released in Spain.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) echoed many of Grothman’s concerns about the president’s plan lacking critical details. In a statement, Ryan said the president’s proposal “fails to provide critical details required by law, including the exact cost and location of an alternate detention facility. Congress has left no room for confusion. It is against the law-and it will stay against the law-to transfer terrorist detainees to American soil. We will not jeopardize our national security over a campaign promise.”