WASHINGTON U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to nix a Trump-era plan to move Space Command headquarters to Alabama was unrelated to restrictive abortion laws there, the White House said, as a dispute over the state's Republican senator blocking military promotions continued.
"Alabama’s restrictive reproductive care laws were not a factor in this decision. ...The most significant factor considered was operational readiness during a critical time in this dynamic security environment," a White House official told Reuters.
The administration announced Monday that the Space Force headquarters would remain in Colorado Springs instead of relocating to Huntsville, Alabama, a spot favored by former Republican President Donald Trump and known as "Rocket City" for its role in developing space rockets.
Biden's decision comes as Alabama's Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville is blocking hundreds of U.S. military appointments to protest the Pentagon's policy reimbursing costs for service members who travel to get an abortion. The blocks are preventing enlisted military from retiring, disrupting relocations and school schedules and undermining the military, the White House and Biden say.
The Pentagon said the Space Command decision by Biden, a Democrat, would ensure "peak readiness" of the command during a critical period.
Tuberville accused Biden of prioritizing a political feud over the needs of the military.
"This decision...looks like blatant patronage politics, and it sets a dangerous precedent that military bases are now to be used as rewards for political supporters rather than for our security," Tuberville said in a statement on Monday after the announcement.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Katharine Jackson; Editing by Heather Timmons and Caitlin Webber)
