President Biden is facing intense bipartisan backlash over his decision to cancel the planned move of the US Space Command Headquarters from Colorado to Alabama, including from one of his staunchest allies.
Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., released a statement late Monday sharply attacking Biden over the decision, calling it “disgraceful” and accusing him of bowing “to the whims of politics over merit.”
“This Administration’s decision to keep Space Command in Colorado bows to the whims of politics over merit. Huntsville’s merits won this fair and square selection process,” Sewell said. “In three separate reports, Huntsville reigned supreme, while Colorado didn’t come in second or even third.”
“This reversal is embarrassing and disappointing. I expected more from the Biden Administration. A decision of this magnitude should not be about red states versus blue states, but rather what is best for to our national security. To be clear, the Alabama Congressional Delegation stands united in opposing this decision,” he added.
BIDEN KEEPS SPACE COMMAND IN COLORADO, REJECTS TRUMP’S PUSH TO MOVE HEADQUARTERS TO ALABAMA
Biden’s decision to cancel the move despite Huntsville setting itself apart as the clear choice for Air Force chiefs to move the Space Command sparked accusations that politics played a role. The ongoing conflict of his administration with Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., on the Pentagon’s funding of abortions was at the heart of those accusations.
Tuberville responded to the decision by accusing Biden of “inserting politics” into the debate over whether to move the Space Command to Alabama.
“The top three choices for the Space Command headquarters are in red states – Alabama, Nebraska, and Texas,” Tuberville said in a statement. “Colorado doesn’t even come close. This decision to bypass the three most eligible sites looks like blatant patronage politics, and it sets a dangerous precedent that military bases will now be used as rewards for political supporters rather than for our security.”
Brig said. Gen said. Patrick Ryder that Biden spoke with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and senior military leaders before deciding that Colorado Springs, Colorado, would remain the permanent location of the Space Command.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for its reaction to Sewell’s criticism, and also asked if its feud with Tuberville contributed to the decision, but did not immediately receive a response.
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![Democrats Terri Sewell and Joe Biden](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/08/Sewell-Biden.jpg)
Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., and President Joe Biden. (Getty Images)
Having the Space Command headquarters in Colorado Springs, Ryder said, will ensure that the US maintains “peak readiness in the space domain… at a critical time.”
In addition to Tuberville, Sewell was joined by his fellow members of Alabama’s congressional delegation, all Republicans, in blasting Biden over the decision.
Rep. Dale Strong, R-Ala., whose district includes Huntsville and would have been home to the new headquarters, said the Biden administration has “ignored what’s best for national security” and vowed to make it the answer to its decision.
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![Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/07/Tommy-Tuberville.jpg)
Sen. arrived. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., for a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“President Biden irresponsibly decided to take a military decision out of the hands of the Air Force in the name of partisan politics,” said Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., said in a statement that “Huntsville came first in both the Air Force Evaluation Phase and the Selection Phase, leaving no doubt that the Air Force’s decision to select Redstone as the preferred basing location was the right one only on merits.”
“That decision should have remained within the purview of the Air Force. Instead, President Biden is now trying to award the Gold Medal to the fifth-place finisher,” he added.
House Armed Services Committee Chairmen Mike Rogers, R-Ala., echoed Britt, who accused Biden on social media of having the military “settle for fifth-best and call it national security.”
“I will continue my investigation into the deliberate, political, taxpayer-funded interference in this decision. It is not over, and Colorado Springs will not be a permanent location for the US Space Command,” he promised.
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![Republican Alabama Senator-elect Katie Britt](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/12/Katie-Britt-2.jpg)
Senator-elect Katie Britt, R-Ala., attends a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and incoming Republican Senators-elect at the US Capitol on Tuesday, November 15, 2022 . (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Rep. also promised. Jerry Carl, R-Ala., who won’t give up on the Space Command moving to Huntsville as Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., called the decision “unacceptable,” and “another broken promise.”
“It is disappointing, but not surprising, that the Biden Administration has chosen to put partisan politics ahead of national security by rejecting the objective best location based on the DoD’s own criteria simply because it is not a blue state,” said Rep. Barry Moore. in a statement.
Rep. called. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., called the decision “the latest chapter in the long saga of the Biden Administration’s failing national security record.”
Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey joined the delegation in blasting Biden over the decision, saying he heard about it in a report from a liberal media outlet rather than the president himself.
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![Alabama Governor Kay Ivey](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/04/Alabama-Gov.-Kay-Ivey.jpg)
Republican Alabama Gov. spoke. Kay Ivey in Woodstock, Alabama, on March 15, 2022. (REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage)
“The White House’s choice not to locate the Space Command Headquarters in Alabama — the right choice — is simply the wrong decision for national security. The fact that a CNN reporter was the first to break the news in Alabama should say it all, ” he says.
Fox News’ Bradford Betz and Liz Friden contributed to this report.