DOD backs Obama's plan to sign defense bill

By Tony Bertuca / November 10, 2015 at 3:07 PM

Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said today that Defense Secretary Ash Carter expects President Obama to sign the newly passed $607 billion defense authorization bill, despite language prohibiting the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

“Overall, the secretary supports the president's decision to move forward and sign this bill,” Cook said during a press conference. “We'd like to move this process forward. There may be aspects of the bill -- in the Guantanamo section in particular -- that are problematic, but the larger bill and the importance of getting some certainty going forward” are enough to outweigh those concerns.

The Senate voted 91-3 today to pass the bill, while the House overwhelmingly passed it 370-58 on Nov. 5. Obama vetoed the first version of the bill, but a broad congressional budget deal has made the legislation more palatable for Democrats.

Meanwhile, media reports indicate that the Pentagon will soon roll out a plan for closing the detention facility, though it remains unknown whether the president will seek congressional approval to do so or use an executive order.

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