Republican Alabama lawmakers harangued President Joe Biden for allegedly letting partisan politics interfere with a final Monday decision to base permanent U.S. Space Command headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Several internal government audits found no undue interference in former President Donald Trump’s last-minute decision to relocate Space Command from its temporary headquarters in Colorado to Huntsville, Alabama, which was the Air Force’s preferred location. Alabama lawmakers said Biden’s final decision betrays partisan motivation, jeopardizing national security and military readiness in statements.
“The top three choices for Space Command headquarters were all in red states—Alabama, Nebraska, and Texas. Colorado didn’t even come close. This decision to bypass the three most qualified sites looks like blatant patronage politics, and it sets a dangerous precedent that military bases are now to be used as rewards for political supporters rather than for our security,” Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville said in a statement after the decision was announced.
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“The Air Force’s decision to choose Redstone as the preferred basing location was correct purely on the merits. That decision should have remained in the Air Force’s purview,” Katie Britt, the senior Republican senator for the state, said in a separate statement.
“This is absolutely not over,” Tuberville added.
Colorado Democrats forced the Air Force to reevaluate its recommendation. Then, the White House stalled making a final call for reasons that remained unclear to the public — but included Alabama’s narrow abortion laws.
“Over and over again, the legitimate process proved that Alabama was the right choice for SPACECOM HQ,” Alabama Republican Rep. Robert Aderholt said in a social media post, adding the decision represents “the latest chapter in the long saga of the Biden Administration’s failing national security record.”
CNN reported that Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall recently recommended following through with the earlier plan to move Space Command to Huntsville, consistent with the Trump administration Air Force’s preference, citing two U.S. officials.
However, Space Force head Gen. James Dickinson suggested leaving it in Colorado to avoid further instability, as the headquarters would be fully operational by August.
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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made no recommendation, CNN reported. Biden finally chose Colorado Springs.
“This decision is in the best interest of our national security and reflects the President’s commitment to ensuring peak readiness in the space domain over the next decade,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Maintaining the headquarters at its current location ensures no risk of disruption to Space Command’s mission and personnel, and avoids a transition that could impact readiness at a critical time given the challenges we continue to face,” she added.
House Republicans have opened an investigation into the Biden administration’s delay, alleging “deliberate taxpayer-funded manipulation” of the selection process,” according to Alabama Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who also chairs the House Armed Services Committee.
Huntsville “was the strongest location and investigations by the DoD IG and GAO have upheld this decision,” Rogers said in a statement. “It’s clear that far-left politics, not national security, was the driving force behind this decision.”
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