Reps. Smith, Gibson, Udall Lead Bipartisan Effort Against Indefinite Detention
SMITH-GIBSON WILL OFFER BILL AS AMENDMENT TO NDAA THIS WEEK
House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member, Congressman Adam Smith, Republican Congressman Chris Gibson, and Senator Mark Udall, who serves on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced legislation to ensure that any individual detained on U.S. soil under the Authorization of Military Force (AUMF) has access to due process. The bills would repeal the provision in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 that requires mandatory military custody of any individual captured on U.S. soil and suspected of terrorism. Their bills aim to prevent the erosion of our civil liberties as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution while strengthening our national security.
Udall and Smith have led the push to undo the military-detention provisions enacted through the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act. The duo introduced similar legislation the previous session of Congress and wrote an op-ed for CNN Opinion about why the law undermines the U.S. Constitution.