House Rejects Prison Expansion to House Gitmo Detainees

On Tuesday, House Republicans rejected a Democratic proposal that would allow the government to spend money to enlarge U.S. prisons for the purpose of housing terrorist suspects currently held in Guantanamo Bay, reports the Hill.

The amendment to the military construction spending bill for 2014, proposed by Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., would do away with language prohibiting funds from being used to expand U.S. prisons specifically for this purpose.

The bill, H.R. 2216, specifies that “none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the Department of Defense in this Act may be used to construct, renovate, or expand any facility in the United States, its territories, or possessions to house any individual detained at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the purposes of detention or imprisonment in the custody or under the control of the Department of Defense.”

In making the case for support of his amendment, Moran argued that holding terrorist suspects in Cuba does not meet U.S. standards of justice and made clear his belief why it is better for the suspects to be held in the United States.

“The best place for them to be housed and then tried is in the United States,” Moran said.

“The continuance of the Guantanamo Bay facility represents an immediate security threat to the United States because it is a rallying cry and a recruitment tool for our enemy.”

Republicans voted down Moran’s amendment in a 170-254 vote. Every Republican save one voted against the proposal, and Democrats were split 169-25 in favor.