WASHINGTON, D.C. (WHNT) — Senator Tommy Tuberville joined six of his Republican colleagues on Wednesday to introduce a bill they say is intended to ‘get politics out of basing decisions’ for U.S. Space Command headquarters.
In a statement sent out Wednesday afternoon, Tuberville’s office said the legislation is being introduced to “stop the Biden administration from cherry-picking federal leases or property buildings based on the ‘legality or availability’ of abortion services in certain states.”
Space Command’s temporary headquarters are currently located in Colorado Springs, although Redstone Arsenal is in the running for the permanent headquarters.
Tuberville says the bill is a response to reports President Joe Biden is looking to halt plans to move U.S. Space Command to Huntsville over Alabama’s abortion law.
“Federal building and basing decisions should be based on merit, not a partisan political agenda . Punishing conservative Americans by keeping federal property out of their states would be an extreme and vindictive move, even for this extremist administration. But Alabamians know Joe Biden is considering doing just that with SPACECOM headquarters, which would set a dangerous precedent. Instead, we ought to keep politics out of these decisions and ensure that taxpayer dollars are being invested where they can be most effective. That’s exactly what this legislation would do and why I’m proud to support it.”
Sen. Tommy Tuberville
The exact language used in the bill says if passed, it will “prohibit the Administrator of General Services from constructing or acquiring public buildings or entering into leases based on the legality or availability of abortion, and for other purposes.”
Tuberville is joined by six cosponsors, U.S. Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS), Rick Scott (R-FL), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Josh Hawley (R-MO). Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and Students for Life Action have also endorsed the bill.
It’s important to note that Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, who is in charge of making the final decision on Space Command’s location, has never said that plans to move SPACECOM to Huntsville have changed.
According to a report from online military news outlet Stars and Stripes on May 22, Kendall denied the reporting that said White House officials were looking to ‘halt plans’ to bring U.S. Space Command to Huntsville over state laws.
“The decision criteria for Space Command have not fundamentally changed,” Kendall told Stars and Stripes. “There is nothing in that decision criteria about state laws, that might be about abortion or gay rights. That is not part of the decision criteria.”
U.S. Space Command General James Dickinson reportedly confirmed to Alabama politicians in D.C. and the Alabama Delegation on June 7 that the state is still ‘the preferred location for SPACECOM headquarters.’
You can find the full text of the bill introduced by Tuberville on Wednesday here .
To read more about USSPACECOM, you can find all of our previous reporting here .