At Guantanamo detention camp hearing, both parties express disappointment with Biden administration

At a Senate hearing on closing the camp, lawmakers could find little common ground apart from dissatisfaction with the Biden administration.

Through its nearly two-decade existence, the Guantanamo Bay detention center has sparked intense, partisan debate. At a Senate hearing on closing the camp, the first of its kind in roughly six years, lawmakers could find little common ground apart from dissatisfaction with the Biden administration.

In his opening remarks, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the chairman of the chamber's Judiciary committee, expressed his frustration with the president's lack of response to Democrats' calls to shut down the military prison.

"I am disappointed. Disappointed that the president and attorney general have yet to respond to my letters," he said. "And I'm disappointed the administration declined to send a witness to testify at today's hearing on how they're working to close Guantanamo."

Although the White House says shuttering the facility, located within the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, is a goal, so far it has taken few steps toward accomplishing it and has declined to set a timeline.