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Senate blocks effort to halt facility upgrades in U.S. for Guantanamo detainees

Los Angeles Times
Posted on Wednesday November 18, 2009

Reporting from Washington – The Democratic-controlled Senate today thwarted an effort to block spending for upgrading facilities in the United States for housing prisoners transferred from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a move that Illinois officials feared could have complicated efforts to place detainees at a prison in their state.

The measure was defeated on a mostly party-line vote of 57-43.

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) proposed the restriction as an amendment to a spending bill for military construction and veterans programs, telling his colleagues, “If you want terrorists here, then vote against this amendment.”

Opponents assailed it as an attempt to block the closing of Guantanamo Bay, a priority of President Obama.

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