WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, didn’t hold back on plans for the U.S. Space Command headquarters.
” … we will start construction next year in Huntsville,” said Rogers (R-Saks).
Rogers said Monday on the “Jeff Poor Show” the decision will be made in the first week of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. The expected move would reverse President Joe Biden’s decision last year to base the command’s headquarters in Colorado Springs.
Biden’s move was seen as political in the face of several evaluation reports identifying Huntsville as the superior location based on merit and operational criteria – including a 2022 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report obtained by 256 Today declaring Huntsville as the No. 1 pick over No. 5 Colorado.
“I told everybody then that Colorado Springs will not be the future location of Space Command,” said Rogers. “It will be Huntsville, Alabama, who won it fair and square. And President Trump said in the campaign that he was going to reverse that decision if elected.
“And 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 we will start construction next year in Huntsville.”
The Alabama congressional delegation is in bipartisan agreement on the command’s permanent presence in Huntsville on Redstone Arsenal, including U.S. Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, and U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham).
“Everybody did their part to make sure that we have the moment that I hope that we have coming really soon, where we see President Trump say the rightful home of Space Command, where is best for national security, where is best for national defense, where it makes the most sense, without a doubt, is Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville,” Britt (R-Montgomery) said.
“I think that that will happen, and that would have never happened but for our delegation working in a bipartisan, bicameral way to put the people and the needs of Alabama before we did party or any other affiliation. So, I think that you’ll see a lot more of that.”
Enthusiasm is building on the state level as well.
Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth said today he spoke with Tuberville (R-Auburn) who assured him the command will be in Huntsville.
Get ready North Alabama. Just got off the phone with @SenTuberville team, and they are confident @realDonaldTrump will bring Space Command back to its rightful home in Alabama. pic.twitter.com/bGGt6JjEYT
— Will Ainsworth (@willainsworthAL) November 12, 2024
Tuberville has been equally persistent on the issue in Washington and said the incoming administration’s priority is to reactivate Alabama as the rightful place for Space Command.
“He will give us Space Command. But here’s the one thing I want to tell American people, Alabama, … we know the best place is Huntsville,” Tuberville said. “Because it was done the right way the first time. The president does not pick Space Command; the Secretary of the Air Force does. The Secretary of the Air Force under Biden even picked Huntsville two years ago and said, ‘Don’t send it to Colorado. Huntsville is the best place.’ So that’s where it’s going to end up. But President Trump has to — he doesn’t pull the trigger — that happens with the Secretary of the Air Force when we get a new one in.”
“But there’s going to be a lot of good things happening for Alabama. President Trump is huge for the state of Alabama.”
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