Britt, Strong, Tuberville decry Biden's attempt to keep Space Command HQ out of Alabama: A 'blatant prioritization of partisan political considerations at the expense of our national security'

After a report surfaced Monday revealing the Biden administration's plans to reverse course on moving U.S. Space Command headquarters to Alabama due to the state's abortion law, several Alabama officials were quick to condemn the President for playing politics at the expense of strategic national security.

"President Biden's plans would irresponsibly yank a military decision out of the Air Force's hands in the name of partisan politics," said U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery). "Huntsville finished first in both the Air Force's Evaluation Phase and Selection Phase, leaving no doubt that the Air Force's decision to choose Redstone as the preferred basing location was correct purely on the merits… The President's blatant prioritization of partisan political considerations at the expense of our national security, military modernization, and force readiness is a disservice and a dishonor to his oath of office as our nation's Commander-in-Chief. Locating the permanent Space Command Headquarters on Redstone Arsenal undoubtedly remains in the best national security interest of the United States."

U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Huntsville) echoed Britt's comments adding that other conservative states should be concerned about losing their military installations.

"When the Air Force looked at what was in the best interest of national security, they chose Redstone Arsenal to house U.S. Space Command headquarters. Any deviation from that is a slight against those serving in uniform," Strong said in a statement. "I've seen all the reviews and reports on the basing process – but don't remember access to late-term abortions being one of the 21 criteria used to evaluate the sites. The White House's inaction and handwringing have brought the consequence of a more than two-year delay for the final basing decision for Space Command. Each passing day is another reminder that the Biden Administration is willing to prioritize bowing down to political pressure over what is best for the military and national defense. If it is now Department of Defense policy to punish conservative states implementing the will of their voters, I'd suggest that Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee, Arizona, Louisiana, Wyoming, Arkansas, Kentucky, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, and Utah start calling the Pentagon to ask if they should be worried about their installations."

In the report by NBC News, U.S. officials said the delay in announcing the permanent home of U.S. Space Command was due to Alabama's abortion laws and U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville's fight against the U.S. Military for funding abortions.

"They don't want to aggravate Tuberville even more," an unnamed official told NBC News.

Tuberville has remained an ardent defender of Huntsville as the best option for Space Command, and he has condemned any suggestion otherwise as purely political.

"Joe Biden is undermining our readiness by politicizing the location of U.S. Space Command. Multiple independent, nonpartisan government reviews have found Space Command headquarters would be best served in Huntsville," Tuberville said in a tweet.

@JoeBiden is undermining our readiness by politicizing the location of @US_SpaceCom.

Multiple independent, nonpartisan government reviews have found Space Command headquarters would be best served in Huntsville.
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) May 16, 2023