Vicky Hartzler: “I thank so much, first, my colleague Jackie Walorski for introducing this very important piece of legislation that I am…”

“I thank so much, first, my colleague Jackie Walorski for introducing this very important piece of legislation that I am proud to cosponsor, and secondly, Chairman Forbes. I thank the gentleman for his leadership on national defense, on faith, and so many other issues important to our country. This bill is crucial. It prevents the Obama administration from transferring any remaining detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in the last months of his Presidency. Now, this is important because the administration seems determined to clear the facility. In 2016, 46 detainees have been transferred. Last month alone, 15 terrorists were released. More are expected as Vice President Biden has stated that it is the President's intention to empty GTMO by the time he leaves office. This rush to close Guantanamo is dangerous, reckless, and shortsighted. Already we have learned that 30 percent of those who have been released have returned to the battlefield. American soldiers who fought so hard to take the enemy off the battlefield now have to face them again. But this release is beyond dangerous; it is an injustice. Let me share an example. In 2011, shortly after taking office, I received the gut-wrenching news that a young soldier from my district had lost his life in the war on terror in Afghanistan. Christopher Stark was a combat engineer serving one of the most dangerous missions of the war: clearing roads of IEDs so his unit could pass by safely.…”