Gitmo and Congress: A question

[alsame]

I have completely forgotten how all this went down:

Did Congress have to approve the construction and funding of Gitmo?

[Clio the Leo]

1. They have to approve funding on just about anything....

... so apparently so.

[alsame]

2. But I don't recall discussions about this before it started or any

Senate votes. I've googled and can't find anything about Congressional approval, only that Bush signed an executive order that detainees could be held there indefinitely.

My point for asking is that if Gitmo was not a Congressional act to begin with, why does President Obama need congressional approval to close it?

[Clio the Leo]

3. I think the problem is....

.... (and I concede I don't know much more about it than you do) is that, in order to house these prisoners in existing facilities, money has to be approved to fund that. It's not that Congress is actually saying Gitmo can be closed, but without providing the money to keep them elsewhere, that's effectively what's happening.

[alsame]

4. Sadly, that makes sense. Gitmo can be closed by the Prez,

but we can't move the detainees elsewhere without Congress.

What a mess.