Newsmax: Democrats are introducing a bill to abolish the Space Force established by former President Donald Trump as a new branch of the military to defend American national security in the expanding world that is increasingly using satellite technology for business, communications, and defense.
As Congress moves to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual bill that authorizes funding for the Pentagon, Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., introduced the “No Militarization of Space Act,” co-signed by Reps. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., Jesús García, D-Ill., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Maxine Waters, D-Calif.
“The long-standing neutrality of space has fostered a competitive, non-militarized age of exploration every nation and generation has valued since the first days of space travel,” Huffman wrote in a statement, announcing the bill. “But since its creation under the former Trump administration, the Space Force has threatened longstanding peace and flagrantly wasted billions of taxpayer dollars.
“It’s time we turn our attention back to where it belongs: addressing urgent domestic and international priorities like battling COVID-19, climate change, and growing economic inequality. Our mission must be to support the American people, not spend billions on the militarization of space.”
The U.S. Space Force was established Dec. 20, 2019, with enactment of the Fiscal Year 2020 NDAA.
“This legislation would put an end to the ill-considered rush into establishing a new military service, the Space Force, and save taxpayers billions of dollars in unnecessary spending,” Taxpayers for Common Sense President Steve Ellis wrote in a statement.
“Eliminating Space Force in a year and transferring all authorities and functions back to the appropriate commands of the Armed Forces is the most fiscally responsible thing to do. To be clear, the U.S. must be a leader in space, but creating a whole new service wasn’t going to accomplish that; it was just going to create a costly new bureaucracy.”
The legislation is endorsed by Ellis’ group along with the National Taxpayers Union, Peace Action, R Street Institute and Demand Progress.