US Congress passes bill that bans transfer of Guantanamo detainees

The US Congress has overwhelmingly passed a $607 billion “defense policy bill” that prohibits the transfer of detainees from the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba to US detention facilities.

The Senate voted 91-3 in favor of the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Tuesday following last week’s 370-58 vote in the House of Representatives.

Congress sent the measure to President Barack Obama on Tuesday. It is unclear if Obama will sign or veto it.

The overwhelming House and Senate votes signal that Congress can override a veto attempt by Obama.

Obama vetoed an earlier version of the bill over a dispute, later resolved, because of the way it increases the military budget and war spending while not increasing funding for domestic programs.

“We all know the unfortunate and unnecessary roadblocks the defense authorization bill has faced this year. We all know that the president decided to veto the version of this bill we passed last month,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said after the bill was passed.

 

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