The Washington Post announced late last week that the White House is drafting options for President Obama that would allow him to finally make true on his 2009 promise to close the prison in Guantanamo Bay. Obama says he wants to work with Congress on this issue, but the Washington Post claimed he is “unwavering in his commitment” to close the prison and will resort to unilateral executive action. It is clear that the president will act fast to close the prison before Republicans win the Senate majority in November and stop him.

A congressional ban currently in place prevents detainees from being brought onto U.S. soil, but that could soon change if President Obama gets his way. The prison at Guantanamo Bay was created after the devastating attacks of September 11, 2001 as a part of our war on terror, and is currently holding 149 terrorists. The closing of Guantanamo Bay would allow some of those prisoners to go back to their home countries and bring others to the United States for trial. Such a decision would be the most dangerous use of executive power by Obama ever, and would undoubtedly open up our country to a grave national security threat.

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus reacted strongly to the news by stating, “Once again, President Obama is trying to go around the Constitution and around Congress to force his liberal agenda on the American people.  His actions threaten our national security.”

“ISIS is terrorizing the Middle East, beheading Americans, and plotting ways to kill us and destroy our way of life. Suddenly, the stability of North Korea is in question with the disappearance of dictator Kim Jong Un. Americans are worried about our security, the world seems to be in chaos, yet President Obama has chosen this precise time to import known terrorists into the United States.

>>>“When the president should have been working on a strategy to destroy ISIS, it seems he was actually working on a strategy to move the world’s deadliest terrorists from Guantanamo to our cities and neighborhoods. Even a dyed-in-the-wool liberal should recognize this is the worst time for President Obama to try to keep a promise he made to his political base six years ago.”

This is not a partisan issue; it is an issue that will directly affect the life of every American. Lawmakers have repeatedly barred the transfer of terrorism prisoners to the United States, but Obama is hell bent on allowing them to cross our borders. After all, what does he have to lose?

A second-term president in his final couple years in office, Obama isn’t worried. The president declared 2014 a “year of action”, stubbornly stating that he would use his “presidential authority” through unilateral executive active to push his agenda even when it is blocked by Congress. Acting more like a dictator than the President of the United States, but what does he care? His approval rating is beyond repair, he has repeatedly shown he neither wants nor needs Congress’s opinion, and he certainly isn’t worried about damaging his chances on a future ballot. Obama has nothing to lose, but America does.

This is not the first time Obama has made dangerous decisions in regards to terrorist. We all remember when he released five Taliban detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Our own Senator Jeff Sessions was extremely critical of Obama’s decision to override the law requiring the president to notify Congress of prisoner releases at least 30 days in advance.

“He did it anyway,” Sessions said. “He didn’t tell [Congress] in advance and it’s a colossal error. In my opinion, it’s a colossal error. It hurts our country. It weakens the United States in a whole host of ways and I am very worried about it. I just think it doesn’t reflect an understanding of what it means to commit men and women to combat and what we owe them. Are we going to release five of the worst terrorists? And one of these terrorists in Afghanistan – his statement has been interpreted and he basically said it’s the equivalent of adding 10,000 jihadists to our cause, this release. This is a huge victory for the Taliban and al Qaeda and I am just baffled by it. I can’t comprehend it.”

Republican must do everything within our power to keep the congressional ban in place and not allow Obama to make yet another disastrous mistake. Voters cannot allow Obama to continue to push his liberal agenda any longer. The November elections and the Republican takeover of the Senate cannot come fast enough. We need responsible leaders in Washington who will stand up to Obama and prevent him from committing this worldwide travesty.

By Bill Armistead, Chairm of the Alabama Republican Party