After President Biden’s recent choice against moving U.S. Space Command headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama, the state’s congressional delegation asserts the battle is ongoing, as reported by The Hill.
Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Mike Rogers (R-AL) has committed to escalating an investigation into the reasoning behind the choice to retain the command in its temporary Colorado Springs headquarters.
One Alabama lawmaker with firepower to bring to the fray, Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, pledged to use his powerful role as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee to investigate the decision. (via @maryshinn) https://t.co/YGpoqQwI2U
— Colorado Politics (@colo_politics) August 1, 2023
Rogers recently released a public statement that Biden’s decision had political motives.
Opting against relocating the headquarters to Huntsville, Biden’s choice results in the area losing around 1,400 jobs. This loss could have contributed approximately $1 billion to the region’s economy on an annual basis.
In the final days of his administration, ex-President Donald Trump selected Huntsville as the permanent command headquarters. However, upon assuming office, President Biden announced his intent to reassess that decision.
The rationale provided by the Biden administration for its decision highlighted that moving the headquarters could span a 10-year duration, potentially affecting military preparedness. In contrast, the Colorado Springs headquarters could be operational within a month.
However, lawmakers from Alabama emphasized that abortion politics played a significant role in the choice, particularly following a May NBC News report indicating that Biden’s decision not to relocate the headquarters was influenced by the state’s near-total abortion law.
Furthermore, the administration has been displeased with the ongoing obstruction of promotions for over 200 Pentagon officers by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). Tuberville’s action is in protest of a recent Defense Department policy that offers paid leave and covers travel expenses for military personnel seeking abortions across state borders.
Rep. Jerry Carl (R-AL) stated, “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.”
Nonetheless, the course of action available to lawmakers remains uncertain, even if they discover evidence of any questionable decision-making.
Despite launching his investigation in May, Rogers’ efforts have produced limited outcomes thus far. Nevertheless, he is presently striving to compel the administration to provide the requested information. He emphasized that he has made five appeals for documents linked to the relocation, but each of these requests has remained unanswered.
Rogers has set a deadline of August 9 for the submission of the documents and is warning of the possibility of issuing a subpoena if compliance is not met.
