White House finishing up plan for closing Guantanamo Bay prison

WASHINGTON — A White House spokesman says the administration is in the “final stages” of drafting its latest plan to close the prison holding terrorism detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

President Barack Obama’s efforts to shut the prison have been stymied by opponents in Congress for years.

Press secretary Josh Earnest says closing Guantanamo remains a priority. Earnest said Wednesday it’s a waste to spend more than $100 million per year on a prison holding only 116 detainees. And he said terrorists use Guantanamo Bay as a recruiting tool.

Earnest said the president has decided to veto a defense spending bill now being negotiated in Congress if it includes provisions that would make it harder to close the prison. But Obama has failed to carry out similar veto threats in the past.