Reed Statement on Obama Administration’s Guantanamo Closure Plan

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate
Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement after the Obama
Administration submitted to Congress a proposal to close the Guantanamo Bay (GITMO)
detention facility:

“Responsibly closing the detention facility at GITMO and transferring detainees
won’t be easy, but it is the right thing to do. The Administration has finally
taken the important step required by the NDAA to submit a plan to Congress, and I
urge my colleagues to join me in carefully reviewing the proposal.

“GITMO should have been closed by now. Even George W. Bush wanted to close it. And
let’s be clear: closing GITMO does not mean releasing anyone, setting bad guys free,
or doing anything other than putting them in a highly secure prison and on trial
under the right military tribunal system or legal process.

“This process has been made more difficult by restrictions imposed by Congress, but
there remains broad recognition that the facility is a symbolic hindrance to
bringing terrorists to justice and weakens counter-terrorism cooperation with our
allies.

“We need to find more cost-effective ways to detain the remaining prisoners and a
workable, long-term solution for detainees who cannot be released or who may pose a
future threat.

“I will work with my colleagues on a bipartisan basis to consider this proposal.”