GOP bill would cut off aid to countries with Gitmo recidivists

A newly unveiled House GOP bill would eliminating foreign aid to countries that fail to prevent released Guantanamo Bay detainees from returning to the battlefield.

The measure, introduced Thursday by Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), would apply to detainees let go from the Guantanamo Bay facility after Feb. 1 of this year.

{mosads}Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

DeSantis argued the proposal would give countries on the receiving end of Guantanamo Bay detainee exchanges an incentive to prevent recidivism.

“This is the dangerous, but foreseeable, outcome of the administration’s policy. Congress must take action to protect the homeland and prevent recidivism by holding detainee-receiving nations accountable,” DeSantis said in a statement.

A Director of National Intelligence (DNI) report this month found that 116 of 647, or 17.9 percent, of former detainees have been confirmed as having re-engaged in terrorism. Of the 116, 110 were transferred during the George W. Bush administration. Another 10.7 percent of detainees were only suspected of returning to violent activity.

Only six of the 115 detainees released since President Obama took office are confirmed by DNI of re-engaging in violence, which amounts to a rate of 5.2 percent.

Countries that have accepted transfers of Guantanamo Bay detainees include Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Great Britain and Yemen.

The foreign aid would be rescinded if former detainees’ names show up in a quarterly report on Guantanamo Bay recidivism the Obama administration submits to Congress.

– Updated at 12:24 p.m. on March 27.