Congress OKs bill banning Guantanamo detainees from U.S.

Congress sent President Barack Obama a $607 billion defense policy bill that he is expected to sign even though he opposes its ban on moving some Guantanamo Bay prisoners to U.S. prisons.  The Senate overwhelmingly approved the bill, 91-3 this past Tuesday.  The president plans to send Congress a blueprint for fulfilling his campaign pledge to close the U.S. prison in Cuba.   This seems hard to achieve as Republicans and some Democrats are opposed to any transfer of prisoners to U.S. soil.  The bill imposes restrictions on transferring any of the 112 remaining detainees to the United States or a foreign country.  The congressional decision to retain a ban on transferring detainees to the U.S. has prompted debate on whether the president will try to bypass Congress and close the prison through executive action.

- Tom Sora