President Obama is not only expected to close Guantanamo Bay, but rumor has it he is prepared to give our U.S. Naval Station in the region to Cuba.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce has prepared legislation to halt this potential dangerous transition. The United States Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Preservation Act would require the president to seek approval from Congress before making anymore dangerous decisions.
“In just a few weeks, President Obama will meet with the communist government in Cuba. The White House says our Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay is ‘sure’ to be a part of discussions. While giving the base to the Castro regime may not be a part of ‘this trip,’ as the White House insists, its long record of one-sided concessions and lack of transparency over Cuba policy makes me very concerned about the status of this key Naval Station. Because if we move out, who will move in? Are we willing to cede a vital national security tool to Russia?”
This urgency comes from the fact that we would be handing the naval station to the Castros.
In the bill’s text, Royce explains the naval station, the only military base in Latin America and the Caribbean, is an important presence because it protects our maritime interests in the region. It also served as a significant source of relief for victims affected by the 2010 earthquakes in Haiti.
We can’t afford to give such an important base to a communist regime.
Royce is clear: If President Obama is determined to give Cuba this important national security location, he’ll have to go through Congress first.
