Obama threatens to veto Senate's defense policy bill

By Pete Kasperowicz, Pete Kasperowicz

Published June 08, 2016

The White House warned Tuesday night that President Obama would veto the Senate's National Defense Authorization Act for 2017 if it got to his desk in that form, as it would prevent Obama from closing the detention facilities in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and prescribes other polices Obama opposes.

"If the president were presented with S. 2943, his senior advisers would recommend he veto the bill," the White House said in a statement.

The statement listed the Gitmo provisions first, and said it "strongly objects" to efforts to prevent the facility's closure.

"As the administration has said many times before, the continued operation of the facility weakens our national security by draining resources, damaging our relationships with key allies and partners, and emboldening violent extremists," it said.