President Obama signed the annual defense policy bill into law Friday, but once again protested the provision that prevents him from closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where suspected terrorist detainees are held.
He hinted, however, that he may claim constitutional powers to transfer some of the detainees even against Congress’s wishes, saying that if he deems the law “violates constitutional separation of powers principles, my administration will implement them in a manner that avoids the constitutional conflict.”
He’s made the same caveat in signing previous bills, but some analysts have predicted he may be more interested in trying to force a fight in his final two years in office, facing a GOP-controlled Congress and with little time left to make good on his promise to shut the facility.
The bill also includes a number of land-deals, including one that Indian tribes in Arizona say turns sacred land held by the federal government over to a copper mine, which drew criticism from Mr. Obama’s Interior Department secretary.
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