Despite his concerns about some of the provisions in the legislation, Biden signed the bill into law.
In addition, Biden stated that one provision of the legislation is unconstitutional. He also said that he would only comply with the requirements of the law in a limited way.
Before Biden signed the bill, the White House had not specified whether he would veto it. The bill's Republican sponsors included a provision that would allow the Pentagon to end its requirement that service members be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
In his statement, Biden noted that the bill provides for the protection of military personnel and families. It also includes important authorities for the defense of the country. However, he noted that some of the provisions of the legislation raise concerns.
In addition, the president criticized the two sections of the legislation that prevent the use of funds for the transfer of the detainees from the detention facility at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay to other countries.
He said that the provisions could make it harder to comply with the court's order regarding the release of the prisoners. He also criticized the restrictions on the executive branch's ability to negotiate with foreign governments regarding the possible transfer of the prisoners. The president urged the Congress to immediately remove these provisions from the bill.
Certain sections of the legislation require the Executive branch to provide Congress with additional reports about classified information.
One of the provisions that the president criticized is requiring the Office of the National Intelligence and the White House to provide the members of Congress with copies of all presidential executive orders and policy directives. He said this requirement is unconstitutional since it would require the Executive branch's officials to provide additional information about their activities.
In response to the concerns about the legislation, the president said that he would only comply with the requirements of the law if the committee that requested the information has a compelling need for it.
In addition, Biden noted that some provisions of the legislation could interfere with the president's ability to communicate the US' foreign policy positions.
Despite his support for some of the legislation's goals, Biden noted that he would not treat the provisions as limiting his ability to communicate the United States' foreign policy positions.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Washington Examiner.
