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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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10

Dems Deny Obama Funds to Close Gitmo

House Democrats say president needs to come up with a plan first

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(Newser) – President Obama's request for $80 million to close Guantanamo Bay was cut from the House version of a war spending bill unveiled yesterday, CNN reports. Democratic lawmakers, whose bill totaled $94.2 billion, said if the president wants money to close Guantanamo Bay then he'll first have to come up with a plan for doing so.

The administration would be welcome to ask for the funds when it has a more concrete plan for closing the center and moving its prisoners, said Democratic House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin. A spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi denied there was any rift with the administration and said the House would continue to work with Obama toward closing the detention facility.

A guard talks to a Guantanamo detainee in the open yard in Camp 4 detention center on the US Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
A guard talks to a Guantanamo detainee in the open yard in Camp 4 detention center on the US Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.   (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, FILE)
Rep. Dave Obey (D-Wis.) called for President Obama to come up with a firmer plan to close Guantanamo and move its detainees.
Rep. Dave Obey (D-Wis.) called for President Obama to come up with a firmer plan to close Guantanamo and move its detainees.   (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson, File)
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When they have a plan, they're welcome to come back and talk to us about it.
- House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.)

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10 comments
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Fondue
May 5, 09 8:52 AM CDT
From the original article: "Republicans have been pounding Obama and the Democrats over the proposed closure, saying that closing the facility could push detainees into facilities in the United States, making the country less safe" So putting Gitmo detainees in US prisons makes us less safe, but we're perfectly safe from the murderers currently in prison. Gotcha. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
godawgs
May 5, 09 12:31 PM CDT
Last time I checked there wasn't too much of a possibility of someone trying to attack a prison or bomb prison to get a sex offender out. When we put these detainee's in our prison system there is the chance that someone might take it upon themselves to try and rescue them, or they will be a greater risk in those prisons to violence. Believe me the detainee's don't want to go to a regular prison where all of their perks are going to stop.
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RobN
May 5, 09 9:04 AM CDT
While I'm sure it's politically motivated, nice job actually expecting to know how the money's going to be spent before allocating it. Reply
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TerrifiedCitizen
May 5, 09 11:28 AM CDT
Accountability is always nice; especially when cool heads prevail in times of crises. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
godawgs
May 5, 09 12:33 PM CDT
These are the same cool heads who have been crying for the prison to be shut down. Now that they are seeing that maybe the rest of the country doesn't want the detainee's in their backyard they might want to slow things down a little bit. They are stuck because they thought that the American people would just let them put the prisoners anywhere. They are finding out that is not true. Also these are the same officials that said the Super Max prisons were to inhumane before we had GITMO. They just want to complain about the prison system, as long as the prisoners are locked up and not living in their districts.
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