“Punishing conservative Americans by keeping federal property out of their states would be an extreme and vindictive move, even for this extremist administration.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) today joined U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) and five Republican colleagues to introduce legislation 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. This legislation comes in response to reports that President Joe Biden is considering reversing the U.S. Air Force’s decision to base U.S. Space Command headquarters in Huntsville in retaliation to Alabama’s laws that protect the unborn.
“Federal building and basing decisions should be based on merit, not a partisan political agenda,” Senator Tuberville said. “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.”
In addition to Senators Tuberville and Marshall, the bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators 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 endorsed the bill.
The full text of the bill can be found here.
SPACECOM BACKGROUND:
Since assuming office more than two years ago, Senator Tuberville has been a vocal advocate for the permanent relocation of U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM) to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.
In 2020, the U.S. Air Force conducted an extensive search for the best location for the new home of SPACECOM, reviewing objective criteria like infrastructure, costs, mission capability, and the quality of the local community. Sixty-six different locations in twenty-six states were evaluated, and in the end, Redstone ranked number one.
At the request of other lawmakers, the U.S. Department of Defense Inspector General (DoD IG) and the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) both conducted investigations into U.S. Air Force’s site selection process for SPACECOM headquarters.
Following the release of the DoD IG’s report, which concluded that the U.S. Air Force followed a legal, fair, and logical process, Senator Tuberville praised the findings of the report. The IG report said, in part, “Overall, we determined that the 2020 Basing Action directed by the SECDEF complied with Federal Law and DoD policy and that the Basing Action process was reasonable.” After his office was briefed on the GAO report, which had similar findings to the IG report, Senator Tuberville issued a video statement in which he said, “it’s time to fully embrace the Air Force’s decision and move forward together. The U.S. Air Force needs and deserves our full support.” After both reports were released, Senator Tuberville sent a letter to his colleagues outlining the findings and how politically-motivated delays negatively impact the nation’s readiness.
In recent months, Senator Tuberville has continued to lead the charge in the U.S. Senate to rally his colleagues around the U.S. Air Force’s decision and support SPACECOM’s swift move to Huntsville.
In a SASC hearing on March 9, 2023, Senator Tuberville pressed a senior military official in defense of the U.S. Air Force’s decision to move SPACECOM to Alabama, confirming independent studies that prove Redstone Arsenal is, unquestionably, the best location. In the hearing, Senator Tuberville questioned General James Dickinson, commander of SPACECOM, about the criteria and scores that led to Huntsville’s selection. These questions prompted General Dickinson to confirm the process that chose Alabama as the number one choice forSPACECOM.
The hearing on March 9 came hours after Senator Tuberville took to the Senate floor to methodically lay out the facts supporting Redstone Arsenal as the best location for SPACECOM, defend Alabama from baseless political attacks, and urge the military to proceed with its original plan to permanently bring SPACECOM to Huntsville as soon as possible.
On March 27, Senator Tuberville wrote a letter to the editor of the Washington Post, rebuffing inaccurate attacks on the selection of Huntsville and explaining why the facts show Redstone Arsenal is the best location for SPACECOM.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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