The Biden administration decided last week not to relocate U.S. Space Command headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama, where the state’s congressional district said the fight is far from over, according to The Hill.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) has pledged to investigate whether President Joe Biden’s decision to retain the U.S. Space Command headquarters in Colorado Springs, California, was political.
Biden’s decision not to move the headquarters to Huntsville is estimated to cost over 1,000 jobs in an area that would have generated $1 billion annually, according to Newsmax.
Former President Donald Trump, toward the end of his administration, decided to permanently locate the headquarters in Huntsville, but, of course, Biden said his administration would review the decision upon entering office.
In its decision, the Biden administration explained that relocating the headquarters could take decades, impacting military readiness, while the headquarters at Colorado Springs can be fully operational in a month.
Alabama lawmakers have come out and said that the Biden administration’s decision was purely political, considering that the president said he would not relocate the headquarters because of a near-total abortion ban law in the state.
“It is clear the Biden administration cares more about advancing their far-left agenda than the security of our nation,” Rep. Jerry Carl (R-AL) said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We will not give up this fight because Space Command belongs in Huntsville.”
It is clear the Biden administration cares more about advancing their far-left agenda than the security of our nation. We will not give up this fight because Space Command belongs in Huntsville. https://t.co/esPn4yqZvw
— Rep. Jerry Carl (@RepJerryCarl) July 31, 2023
“I’m frustrated because I expected more from the Biden administration. I had hoped for Alabama’s sake that politics would not win out. But I certainly understand the feeling that you don’t want to reward the reckless antics of elected officials,” Rep. Terri Sewell (R-AL).
Despite Rogers opening his investigation of the Biden administration in May 2023, he has gotten few results. The Republican lawmaker said he’s asked the administration for the information he’s requested but has gone unanswered multiple times.
“This is unacceptable,” Rogers wrote. “Your refusal to abide by the committee’s repeated requests for responsive documents and transcribed interviews can only be considered obfuscation and purposeful delay, highlighted by the fact that the basing decision was decided while the committee’s requests are outstanding.”
