Inhofe Leads Halt of Detainee Transfers to US – Vote at 11:30am ET TODAY
May 20, 2009
US. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, yesterday welcomed the Democrats reversal to remove funding in the war supplemental requested by President Obama to close Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo) prison. This change came shortly after Senator Inhofe announced that he was introducing an amendment to prevent any funding in the bill from being used to transfer detainees from Gitmo to the U.S. Senator Inhofe and Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) joined to introduce a bipartisan amendment to strip the funding. A vote on the amendment is expected at 11:30am ET today.
Watch Senator Inhofe on MSNBC, Fox News, and CNN.
In the News:
TULSA WORLD: Inhofe declares victory in Guantanamo controversy
by: JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau
Published: Tuesday, May 19, 2009
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe declared victory Tuesday after Senate Democrats retreated and announced they also were against closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay — at least for now.
“I am extremely pleased that Democrats in the Senate have reversed course and announced that they will not include the $80 million in the war supplemental to close Gitmo,” the Oklahoma Republican said.
“I will remain watchful as these positive developments unfold in order to ensure this funding is not slipped in the legislation later on.’’
Earlier in the day, Inhofe served notice he was prepared to move ahead with his own proposal to prohibit use of funds to transfer detainees from the Guantanamo Bay facility to the U.S.
His amendment also would have barred spending funds to prepare another facility in the U.S. or its territories for housing any detainees.
Click here to read full article from the Tulsa World.
OKLAHOMAN: As Guantanamo plan falters, Jim Inhofe pleased
BY CHRIS CASTEEL
Published: May 20, 2009
WASHINGTON — Sen. Jim Inhofe and other foes of shutting down the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay won a victory on Tuesday when Senate Democrats refused to provide money for the effort.
Just before debate began on a spending bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Senate Democratic leaders decided not to include $80 million to relocate about 240 detainees at the prison in Cuba.
Inhofe, R-Tulsa, had been poised to offer an amendment to the war funding bill to bar transferring any of the detainees to the U.S. Instead, he and Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, offered an amendment to strip the $80 million from the bill.
Click here to read full article from the Oklahoman.
Press reports show Democrats concede on Gitmo:
The Washington Post: "Democrats plan to nix $80 million to shut Guantanamo" - President Barack Obama was dealt a setback on Tuesday by fellow Democrats in the Senate who said they would strip $80 million from a war funding bill for closing the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay. "We'll wipe out all the money, but I'll put in a provision saying none of the funds in this bill or any other bill may be used to pay for the transfer of detainees from Guantanamo to the United States," until there is some plan, said Senator Daniel Inouye, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and an author of the bill. "The feeling was at this point we were defending the unknown. We were being asked to defend a plan that hasn't been announced," said Richard Durbin, second-ranking Democrat in the Senate. California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein called Obama's request for the money premature.
Think Progress: "Reid: Guantanamo Detainees Should Not Be Held In U.S. Prisons" - Accepting the right wing's baseless premise, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) declared in a press conference today, "We will never allow terrorists to be released into the United States." In several tense back and forths with reporters, Reid said he opposes imprisoning detainees on U.S. soil, saying flatly, "We don't want them around the United States."
Politico: "Democrats concede on Guantanamo Bay" - Asked next, if he could see a day when Guantanamo detainees might be transferred to prisons on American soil, Reid refused to clarify his remarks. "We don't want them around," he said.
Fox News: "Democratic Senator Blasts Gitmo Plan" - The president is moving full speed ahead to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, but some prominent members of his party are refusing to go along for the ride. Democratic Senator Jim Webb served as President Reagan's secretary of the Navy, but he is best known as a highly decorated Vietnam veteran and an outspoken critic of the Iraq War. Now Senator Webb is voicing his opposition to the president's plan to close Gitmo by January 2010, and to bring Gitmo detainees to the United States thereafter. SENATOR JIM WEBB, D-VA "...These are people who were brought to Guantanamo for international terrorism. I do not believe they should be tried in the United States."
Politico: "White House fumbled Gitmo, Durbin says" - The Obama administration's missteps forced Senate Democrats to ditch a White House request to fund the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention center, according to members of Harry Reid's leadership team. Democrats have been getting plastered on the issue - with the GOP claiming the plan would result in shipping dangerous Islamic terrorists onto American soil, which, oddly, isn't popular. Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) says the administration's failure to produce an actual plan made Democrats loathe to take a vote that would almost certainly launch dozens of GOP 30-second ads.
Wall Street Journal: Democrats Discover Gitmo's Virtues - 'We're not going to bring al Qaeda to Big Sky Country. No way, not on my watch," declared Montana Sen. Max Baucus. "I wouldn't want them and I wouldn't take them," insisted Nebraska's Ben Nelson. Not Quantico, piped up Virginia's Mark Warner. After all, it "is in a very populated area in the greater capital region." Look, "Alcatraz is a national park and a tourist attraction, not a functioning prison" for terrorists, said the office of California's Dianne Feinstein.
MSNBC: SENATE DEMS TO STRIP GITMO $$ FROM BILL - Politically, this is a loss for the administration. President Obama had requested millions to close Gitmo with no strings attached. The House acted first as last week, when Democratic leaders passed its version and didn't give the administration a dime. Their attitude was essentially, "When you have a plan, we'll get you the money."
New York Times: Senate Leaders Balk at Closing Guantánamo Prison - Moving to avoid a bitter partisan feud, Senate Democratic leaders have decided to remove from a war spending bill the $80 million that President Obama had requested to close the detention center for terrorist suspects at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
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