President Joe Biden has decided to keep Space Command based in Colorado, resolving a dispute between leaders for that military organization and the U.S. Air Force, who supported then-President Donald Trump’s decision to move it to Alabama.
“The officials said Biden was convinced by the head of Space Command, Gen. James Dickinson, who argued that moving his headquarters now would jeopardize military readiness. Dickinson’s view, however, was in contrast to Air Force leadership, who studied the issue at length and determined that relocating to Huntsville, Alabama, was the right move,” The Washington Post reports.
President Biden, according to officials, “believes that keeping the command in Colorado Springs would avoid a disruption in readiness that the move would cause, particularly as the U.S. races to compete with China in space. And they said Biden firmly believes that maintaining stability will help the military be better able to respond in space over the next decade.”
The decision comes amid a months-long crisis created by U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, Republican of Alabama, who since February has single-handedly blocked all U.S. Armed Forces promotions and bonuses that require Senate confirmation.
Monday’s announcement also comes after Sen. Tuberville last week blasted President Biden for not making a decision on a permanent headquarters for Space Command. On Wednesday the Alabama Republican attacked Biden, saying, “it’s a shame that we have gotten into politics.”
The number of promotions is reportedly now over 300, President Biden said Friday, blasting Tuberville.
Tuberville has been criticized by Democrats and Republicans alike, and by top U.S. Military officials, who say he has endangered America’s military readiness.
The block, Tuberville claims, is in response to the Pentagon reimbursing service members for travel if they need to go out of state to access abortion services, in the wake of the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade.
Tuberville, on Monday afternoon via social media accused President Biden of breaking the law.
“Enough of @POTUS politicizing our military,” the Alabama freshman Republican senator said.
“He surrendered in Afghanistan and caused the worst national embarrassment in 40 years,” which is the opinion of some on the right, but Biden was obligated to withdraw based on an agreement made by then-President Donald Trump.
He also said President Biden “discharged 8,000 patriots over his vaccine mandate.”
“Now he’s breaking a law that he voted for as a senator, forcing taxpayers to facilitate thousands of abortions through the military — even late-term abortions,” Tuberville charged. “Joe Biden can spare me the lectures about military readiness.”
Although no mention was made of Tuberville, his hold on hundreds of military promotions and bonuses, or abortion, as far back as May Punchbowl News reported those issues were all intertwined.
“The abortion issue — and Tuberville’s decision to use routine military promotions as leverage to get the Pentagon to rescind its abortion policy — may now be bleeding into the bitter fight between lawmakers from Alabama and Colorado over where to house U.S. Space Command.”
Watch video of President Biden above or at this link.