President Barack Obama's long-awaited plan to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay was delivered to Congress Tuesday morning, eight years after Obama pledged to do so during his 2008 presidential campaign to shutter the detention facility he labels "contrary to our values."
"It's been clear that the detention center at Guantanamo Bay does not advance our national security," Obama said from the Roosevelt Room at the White House, according to NBC News. "It undermines our standing in the world."
His intentions to close the prison has been the crux of his annual State of the Union addresses ever since taking office in 2009. His plan calls for up to $475 million in construction costs, some of which will cover the transfer of some of the remaining 91 detainees to U.S. facilities. As opposed to the annual $400-450 million in costs to maintain the prison, the Pentagon estimates it could save up to $85 million a year, recouping the one-time costs in about five years, by moving the detainees elsewhere.
Defense officials hope the plan will convince Congress to allow for the transfer of nearly 60 detainees to the U.S., despite them repeatedly passing legislation which has banned any efforts in the past.
"The administration seeks an active dialogue with Congress on this issue and looks forward to working with Congress to identify the most appropriate location as soon as possible," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said, according to USA Today.
The plan identifies 13 potential sites, according to CNN, including existing facilities in South Carolina, Kansas and Colorado, as well as new facilities at unnamed military bases across the country.
The debate over the moving of the detainees has been a long lasting one, with a majority of lawmakers arguing that detainees shouldn't be moved for national security reasons, while Obama argues that it costs the U.S. too much to maintain the Cuban prison.
"There is far too much money that is spent to operate that prison when there are more cost-effective alternatives available. And we certainly would like to work with the Congress to make those alternatives a reality because we know that those alternatives don't weaken our national security. In fact, they strengthen it. They enhance it," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. "And it would take away – by closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay – a chief recruiting tool that we know is used by terrorist organizations about the world."
