Colorado sues the Trump administration over its decision to move Space Force headquarters to Alabama
The Democratic Party attorney general of Colorado yesterday announced he is suing the Trump administration over its decision to relocate the headquarters of the Space Force from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is suing President Donald Trump’s administration over its “retaliatory” decision to relocate U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama.
In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of Colorado on Wednesday, Weiser wrote that the president “could not have been clearer about his motivations” for the move, citing Trump’s comments during the Oval Office announcement last month acknowledging that Colorado’s elections, which he falsely described as “crooked,” were a “big factor” in his decision.
That admission makes Trump’s decision to vacate Space Command’s temporary location in Colorado — the latest twist in a years-long battle over the permanent home of Space Force headquarters — an unconstitutional violation of state sovereignty, Weiser said in a press conference. “The executive branch isn’t allowed to punish, retaliate, or seek to coerce states who lawfully exercise powers that are reserved to them,” Weiser said. “And that includes the power to oversee the time, place and manner of elections.”
Weiser’s lawsuit has little chance of winning in court. No state can tell the federal government where to place its facilities, no matter what the reason. The suit is mainly a crumb Weiser is throwing to his local Democratic Party supporters, showing them he as is equally controlled by Trump Derangement Syndrome as they are.
I should note that I also strongly disagree with Trump’s decision in this case. It will cost a lot of money, and will gain us nothing. The military’s space operations have been based in Colorado for more than a half century. Though a major reorganization of this bureaucratic structure is warranted, it would be far better to reorganize it there, rather than try to recreate it elsewhere.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
The Democratic Party attorney general of Colorado yesterday announced he is suing the Trump administration over its decision to relocate the headquarters of the Space Force from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is suing President Donald Trump’s administration over its “retaliatory” decision to relocate U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama.
In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of Colorado on Wednesday, Weiser wrote that the president “could not have been clearer about his motivations” for the move, citing Trump’s comments during the Oval Office announcement last month acknowledging that Colorado’s elections, which he falsely described as “crooked,” were a “big factor” in his decision.
That admission makes Trump’s decision to vacate Space Command’s temporary location in Colorado — the latest twist in a years-long battle over the permanent home of Space Force headquarters — an unconstitutional violation of state sovereignty, Weiser said in a press conference. “The executive branch isn’t allowed to punish, retaliate, or seek to coerce states who lawfully exercise powers that are reserved to them,” Weiser said. “And that includes the power to oversee the time, place and manner of elections.”
Weiser’s lawsuit has little chance of winning in court. No state can tell the federal government where to place its facilities, no matter what the reason. The suit is mainly a crumb Weiser is throwing to his local Democratic Party supporters, showing them he as is equally controlled by Trump Derangement Syndrome as they are.
I should note that I also strongly disagree with Trump’s decision in this case. It will cost a lot of money, and will gain us nothing. The military’s space operations have been based in Colorado for more than a half century. Though a major reorganization of this bureaucratic structure is warranted, it would be far better to reorganize it there, rather than try to recreate it elsewhere.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
I gave up caring about this one way or the other.
I’m going to come out and disagree with our host on this one.
Space commands need to be close to the launch sites, and launch sites are feasible in two latitudinal bands. One is the deep Arctic, for Project Orion nuclear bulk takeoffs.
The other, of course, is in the tropics because there we don’t need atomic rockets: we can use the Earth’s own spin to boost takeoff. Also this band’s on the ecliptic and on a good course toward our own Moon.
Colorado, at 40 degrees North, is not a good site for takeoffs. So it does not make sense for a space command.
Denver is a good site for other reasons, to do with airflight. But not space. For space, our best bets are Florida and south Texas.
David Ross: Space headquarters and even mission control don’t have to be anywhere near a rocket’s launch. And the most important work that mostly goes on in Colorado has had to do with tracking objects in orbit. That requires a worldwide network, but it can be managed from anywhere.
Regardless, even if you are right, Trump ain’t doing what you suggest. He’s not moving the headquarters to Florida or south Texas, he’s moving it to Alabama.
Minor edit in first sentence: “over its decision to relocate”
Andi: Fixed. Thank you!
A few clarifications are in order here, because both our host and the article he quotes are conflating a few very different things:
Headquarters US Spaces Force is at the Pentagon, just like the HQ for the other services. It isn’t going anywhere. Space Operations Command (SpOC), the USSF Field Command responsible for operating USSF assets in space is headquartered in Colorado Springs, and it isn’t going anywhere either.
What is being moved is US Space Command, the geographical/functional Combatant Command for space. This is the headquarters for fielded forces presented by the services, much as the US European Command HQ in Stuttgart, Germany is responsible for the employment of all US armed forces presented to the European theater by the various services. There is no particular reason that this HQ needs to be in Colorado, and the bases there are already overly congested trying to deal with all the things USSF is trying to build for itself as it grows as a service.
Moving to Huntsville is a political thing (payoffs to Sens and Reps), and it will cost money, but it does not impact day to day operations in any meaningful way.
Balloonmann: Thank you for the clarifications. The military is not my specialty, so these additional details are appreciated.
Those details however suggest to me that there really is a bit too much management here, and what Trump should really be doing is slashing payrolls in this upper management quagmire.
Jeff Wright,
But, Jeff, it’s Huntsville! How can you not care? Think of the children!
David Ross,
Once they’ve conquered Russia, I bet the Ukes would be quite willing to lease us Novaya Zemlya for those Project Orion nuclear bulk takeoffs. The place already hosted a lot of above-ground nuke tests back in the day so it would just be like old times there again.
Robert Zimmerman,
As you say, such an HQ can be put pretty much anywhere so why not put it somewhere politically useful to the current administration instead of somewhere politically hostile to it? Moving expenses are one-time, whereas the lower cost of living in Alabama vs. Colorado will save money over time. And, if your goal is to shed some headcount, a move is a good way to do that – not everyone will choose to make such a move so I’d expect some retirements and separations in lieu of relocation.
More broadly, the same effect can be exploited to cut the payrolls at other government agencies via “voluntary” separations. Most of the Executive branch agencies should have their HQs moved out of DC and spread around to the rest of the country anyway. Physical dilution of this sort will materially disrupt the toxic culture of DC that is driven in no small part by the physical concentration of Deep State lifers.
For my money, plans should already be in play for moving NASA HQ out of DC instead of building it an expensive new HQ building there when the lease on its current digs expires in a couple of years. Similarly, why is the Dept. of Agriculture HQ’d in DC and not in some farm state? The Dept. of the Interior, in like fashion, might more reasonably be in AK than in DC. DC is no transport hub either so why are Mr. Duffy and the DOT there? There’s even a decent case for the Pentagon’s denizens to be dispersed to complicate the planning of any enemy contemplating a decapitation strike on the US. Much of the military’s business is already conducted via secure long-distance data links and there are US military facilities already extant in profusion all over the country. The same considerations apply to the Intelligence apparat.
And here’s a thought – why not disperse Congress too. Let them stay in their states and districts and also conduct business via secure digital links? The only reason DC exists at all is that physical proximity was the only way most things governmental could be done at the time of the nation’s founding. That’s no longer the case and hasn’t been, really, for some time. Empty DC out and turn it into a theme park.
I’d like DC to be all museums, but it would be razed by the locals without military muscle there to protect politicos.
Dick Eagleson:
I somewhat disagree with the position that Federal Government should be distributed. It sounds like cancer metastasizing. I would prefer to have all in one place: “Keep your Friends close, but your Enemies closer”. In a confined area seems the best way to keep an eye on them.