While it is hardly uncommon for brazen politics to play into President Joe Biden’s actions, few examples are more egregious than his recent decision concerning the U.S. Space Command headquarters.
In the latter days of his administration, former President Donald Trump announced the relocation of the headquarters from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Huntsville, Alabama. Biden, however, pledged a review after being sworn into the Oval Office.
Now it is believed that abortion politics played a leading role in Biden’s decision to deny Huntsville 1,400 jobs and $1 billion in annual revenue.
And lawmakers are hopping mad. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) pledged to continue a probe into the surprise decision. He called the move clearly political.
As proof, critics cite a May NBC News report alleging the Biden administration would not move the Space Command headquarters to a state with strong abortion restrictions.
The Administration’s decision to keep Space Command in Colorado bows to the whims of politics over merit.
Huntsville won this selection process fair and square.
Read my full statement below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/wVFmQw2mC3
— Rep. Terri A. Sewell (@RepTerriSewell) July 31, 2023
Rep. Jerry Carl (R-AL) accused the administration of having more concern for “advancing their far-left agenda than the security of our nation.”
Then there’s the blockade of Pentagon promotions by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). He effectively became a one-man filibuster over the armed forces policy of funding abortion travel for service members in areas where it is restricted.
The official justification for the decision by the White House was that relocation would take a decade and would impact military readiness.
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a news conference last week that politics did not play a role in the decision to reject Huntsville. He claimed the Air Force conducted a “thorough analysis and assessment.”
One Alabama Democrat attempted to have it both ways. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) said she expected “more from the Biden administration” and expressed hope that “politics would not win out.”
But then she blasted what she called “the reckless antics of elected officials” in her home state.
Rogers did not hedge. Instead, he vowed to continue his investigation into the motivations behind the administration’s decision. It is not clear, however, if there is legal recourse even if politics did play a role in choosing Colorado over Alabama.
The representative persisted, telling the White House that “your refusal to abide by the committee’s repeated requests for responsive documents and transcribed interviews can only be considered obfuscation and purposeful delay.”
Rogers insisted on the documents being turned over this week and threatened to issue a subpoena if they are not.
