The White House released a statement on Thursday that said advisers to President Obama would recommend he veto the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2013 if passed in its current form because of restrictions on the handling of Guantanamo Bay detainees and other concerns.
The Obama administration “strongly objects” to a portion of the act that would prevent the administration from using funds to transfer detainees out of Guantanamo Bay to foreign countries, according to the statement of administration policy. It said the restrictions “have limited the Executive’s ability to manage military operations in an ongoing armed conflict, harmed the country’s diplomatic relations with allies and counterterrorism partners, and provided no benefit whatsoever to our national security.”
White House officials also objected to the NDAA’s prohibitions on funding to construct, acquire or modify a facility in the U.S. to house any Guantanamo detainees. The document said the restriction “shortsightedly constrains the options available to military and counterterrorism professionals to address evolving threats.”
