One potential outcome of President-elect Donald Trump's election win last week was the reversal of a 2023 Biden administration decision to relocate Space Command headquarters to Colorado over the Trump administration's pick of Huntsville.
At the time, Huntsville had repeatedly been the top choice for Space Command HQ by U.S. Air Force surveys.
During an interview with Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5 that aired on Monday, U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Saks), the House Armed Service Committee chairman, said he expected Trump to reverse the decision immediately upon his inauguration and that construction would begin in 2025.
"I've told y'all since Biden made that crooked decision, it wasn't going to work," he said. "As you know, on the Armed Services Committee, I put a hold on any money being spent in Colorado Springs after President Biden came in and stole that mission away. And I told everybody then that Colorado Springs will not be the future capital or location of Space Command. It will be Huntsville, Alabama, who won at fair and square. And President Trump said in the campaign that he was going to reverse that decision if elected. But I knew he would because if you remember, not only did Alabama win two nationwide competitions, but President Trump's secretary of the Air Force recommended Huntsville, President Biden's secretary of the Air Force recommended Huntsville, and then Biden took it away for political reasons."
"And in addition to putting a freeze on any money being spent in the department for Colorado Springs, I called for an investigation by the GAO and the Inspector General, both of which are ongoing," Rogers continued. "I have every confidence that those investigations, when they're finished probably in December or January, are going to say there was no reason for it not to go to Huntsville, and would have reversed the president's decision anyway. But it's going to be a big point now because President Trump's already announced it, and I think you'll see in the first week that he's in office, he'll sign an executive order reversing Biden's directive. And we will start construction next year in Huntsville."
The veteran Alabama Republican lawmaker said he did not expect any resistance from his Democratic counterparts in the U.S. House of Representatives.
"Keep in mind, you know, in the House Armed Services Committee, the Democrats weren't pushing back against Trump putting it there, because it won," Rogers added. "You'll remember, [Alabama Democrat U.S. Rep.] Terri Sewell was very active on our committee. [Ranking Democrat U.S. Rep.] Adam Smith remained silent, which tells you everything you needed to know on the issue. I have every confidence that if for some reason we didn't take control of the House, Adam Smith and the Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee would do nothing to try to interfere with the U.S.-based command being constructed in Huntsville."
Jeff Poor is the editor in chief of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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