President Barack Obama makes a statement about his plan to close the detention camp at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and relocate the terrorism suspects there to the United States. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President Barack Obama presented a plan to Congress today to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, which would belatedly fulfill one of his campaign promises.

Flanked by Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Obama called the facility a drain on resources that runs contrary to the nation’s values and undermines national security.

“This plan deserves a fair hearing, even in an election year,” Obama said in the 18-minute address. “The fact that I’m no longer running, Joe is no longer running, we’re not on the ballot, it gives us the capacity to not have to worry about the politics. Let us do what is right for America. Let us go ahead and close this chapter and do it right, do it carefully, do it in a way that makes sure we’re safe… I don’t want to pass this problem onto the next president, whoever it is.”

He pointed out that closing the detention facility was one of the “few things” that he and Senator John McCain agreed on in 2008, and that President George W. Bush had also advocated for the closure. Over the years, Obama has reiterated calls to shut down the prison, and under his administration, 147 detainees have been transferred to other countries.

There are just 91 individuals remaining of the nearly 800 who were detained there; 35 have been approved for transfer to another country, the president said.

Under Obama’s plan, the remainder would be transferred to a yet-to-be-identified location in the United States. The administration estimates that the closure would save $85 million a year, and $1.7 billion over the course of 20 years.

Much of the plan is similar to his previous proposals, and is likely to run into the kind of opposition that has thwarted previous efforts. Sen. McCain called the plan “a vague menu of options, not a credible plan for closing Guantánamo, let alone a coherent policy to deal with future terrorist detainees,” the Guardian reported.