Biden admin weighs keeping US Space Command headquarters in Colorado over Alabama’s abortion laws: report

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The Biden administration may halt plans to move U.S. Space Command’s headquarters from Colorado to Alabama over the latter’s restrictive abortion laws. 

Multiple U.S. officials, including at least one in defense, told NBC News that the White House may be laying the groundwork to halt those plans because of "abortion politics." 

WASHINGTON, DC May 9, 2023: US President Joe Biden. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Just days before leaving office and following an intense lobbying battle, then-President Trump announced that the U.S. Space Command would be headquartered in Huntsville, Ala. 

The move from its current headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs was expected to take several years and cost more than $1 billion. 

A review by Biden Defense Department’s inspector general found the relocation "lawful" and "reasonable." 

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The Biden administration later requested a "review of the review" over concerns that the relocation could mean a protracted delay in settling the Space Command in a new location. The review also came after Alabama implemented a law that outlawed abortion at any stage of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest. 

FILE: Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey delivers her State of the State address, Tuesday, March 7, 2023, in Montgomery, Ala.  (AP Photo/Julie Bennett)

In March, the administration signaled it was ready to reverse Trump’s decision and keep the Space Command’s headquarters in Colorado Springs, where it has been for decades. 

The White House has not said Alabama’s abortion law was a factor in its ongoing review of the decision to move Space Command’s headquarters. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to Space Command and the White House for comment. 

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Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., whose district includes the current Space Command headquarters, said that national security should be the "only factor taken into consideration when determining the permanent location of the U.S. Space Command." 

"Space Command is already almost at full operational capability (FOC) in Building 1 at Peterson SFB, and will reach FOC four to six years faster if it stays where it is," Lamborn said in a statement.

"Reaching FOC should be the primary determining factor for this decision given the threats posed by China and Russia. I support efforts to reverse the previous decision based on national security grounds in the best interests of our nation." 

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Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., also accused the Biden administration of "undermining our readiness by politicizing the location of Space Command." 

"Multiple independent, nonpartisan government reviews have Space Command headquarters would be best served in Huntsville," he said. 

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.