MICHELE NORRIS, Host:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Michele Norris.
MELISSA BLOCK, Host:
And, Ari, tell us first more about the bill itself.
ARI SHAPIRO: I mean, this part had bipartisan support. And if you think of Congress as holding the purse strings on the government, they basically snapped the purse shut for any money to transfer detainees into the U.S. or to foreign countries. The effect would, basically, be to give the White House no choice but to keep the men at the prison and try them there - if they get trials at all.
BLOCK: And so the response from President Obama was what exactly?
SHAPIRO: Well, he could have vetoed the law, but he didn't. And he says he signed it because of the importance of authorizing spending for the military.
NORRIS: Instead, President Obama held his nose, and he signed the bill. He said it undermines the country's counterterrorism efforts and has the potential to harm our national security, but he would swallow it anyway. And he added, quote, "My administration will work with the Congress to seek repeal of these restrictions, will seek to mitigate their effects and will oppose any attempt to extend or expand them in the future."
BLOCK: And, Ari, why, if the president really does believe that this bill harms national security, why would he not do what President Bush had done and issue a signing statement that would say he ignores the provisions?
SHAPIRO: But, you know, those are the legal arguments. The political argument is President Obama railed against President Bush's use of signing statements in this way, both as a candidate and as a senator before that. It could have been politically nearly impossible for him to do that in this instance.
BLOCK: So in the end, Ari, what does this mean for the administration's efforts to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay?
SHAPIRO: So, entirely apart from the restrictions that Congress places on this, there is a whole range of challenges. And, in an ironic way, it might almost be better for the Obama White House that they can point to Congress and say it's your fault. You're responsible. You're the only reason we can't fulfill our campaign promise, rather than try to deal with all of these other challenges that are stacking up behind it.
BLOCK: Okay. NPR's Ari Shapiro, thanks so much.
SHAPIRO: You're welcome.