The new defense bill is up for authorization, but President Obama is stalling. Why? Because Republican’s won’t let him spend to his heart’s content and shut down Guantanamo Bay.
What the bill does is authorize Defense programs, and shift $38 billion from regular operations and maintenance accounts to a war funding account that’s not subject to mandatory budget caps imposed by a 2011 law. The White House wants those caps lifted, not just for defense, but also for domestic spending, and has demanded congressional Republicans negotiate a broad budget deal before Obama will sign any spending bills.
The White House also objects to provisions that would effectively bar Obama from closing the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the rest of his term, though Obama has backed down on similar provisions in past legislation.
Republicans, backed by some military advocacy groups such as the Military Officers Association of America, have urged Obama to sign the bill, which also contains important reforms to defense acquisition practices and cost-saving changes to military benefits that have broad bipartisan support.
This is another example of Obama shamelessly putting ideology over practicality. When it came to dealing with Iran, massive evidence of impropriety and dishonesty on the part of the mullahs took a backseat to securing an empty agreement; now, when America wants to set its national security priorities,. Obama is holding things up because he wants to close the unpopular with liberals Guantanamo Bay prison, presumably returning terrorists to the battlefield or housing them on American mainland soil. Once again, Obama seems more concerned with impressing his friends at the United Nations than with keeping Americans safe.
AAN Staff
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