A $600 million plan by the Pentagon to close the military prison at Guantanamo and relocate detainees to a new facility in the United States was rejected by the White House because the price tag was too high.
Relaying information from administration officials, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday evening that President Obama sent the closure strategy back to the Defense Department during a meeting with Secretary Ashton Carter last month.
Obama asked officials to find a way to lower the cost of the plan, which included a one-time $350 million expenditure on construction costs for a new facility stateside, plus an annual operating cost around $300 million. The current prison at Guantanamo Bay costs roughly $400 million a year to operate.
Department scout teams had been surveying locations in Kansas, South Carolina, and Colorado as potential alternatives to the infamous military prison. The administration hoped to present a detailed closure plan to Congress in return for lifting detainee transfer restrictions that were codified into law with the signing of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, which prevent the president from moving prisoners to the United States.
In a signing statement to the policy bill last month, President Obama suggested that the provisions are unconstitutional, and infringe on his role as commander in chief—a sign that the administration is leaving open the option to act unilaterally and close the prison through executive action.
Currently, 107 individuals remain detained at Guantanamo.
