House Democrats introduce bill to abolish the Space Force

| September 25, 2021

Maybe your purpose on this planet isn’t on this planet. (U.S. Space Force)

Frankly, I’m surprised this wasn’t higher on the Democrat agenda to un-person Trump. ChipNASA sends this American Military News article;

This week, a group of five Democrat lawmakers introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that would abolish the U.S. Space Force after just two years in operation.

The bill, titled the “No Militarization of Space Act” was introduced on Wednesday by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) and was co-sponsored by Reps. Mark Pocan (D-WI), Jesús García (D-IL), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Maxine Waters (D-CA). The bill has the stated purpose “to abolish the Space Force as an Armed Force.”

“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 his bill. “But since its creation under the former Trump administration, the Space Force has threatened longstanding peace and flagrantly wasted billions of taxpayer dollars.”

Huffman said, “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 Space Force was established as the newest branch of the U.S. military on December 20, 2019. President Donald Trump began calling for the creation of the Space Force in 2018 and the new military branch received its initial funding through the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The branch’s stated mission is to serve as a branch “that organizes, trains, and equips space forces in order to protect U.S. and allied interests in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint force. USSF responsibilities include developing Guardians, acquiring military space systems, maturing the military doctrine for space power, and organizing space forces to present to our Combatant Commands.”

The branch was founded amid ongoing efforts by China and Russia to develop space-based weapons capabilities. In 2007, China launched a missile 537 miles above the earth and destroyed one of its own satellites and both countries have continued to develop weapons that can destroy satellites in space.

Even before Trump put his support behind creating a Space Force, the Department of Defense had debated creating a Space Corps as a sub-branch of the U.S. Air Force. The Air Force had already taken some measures to protect its space-based assets.

In the nearly two years since it received its initial funding, the Space Force has staffed itself by drawing heavily from members of other military branches who have space-related training. In December 2020, the first seven Space Force members to enlist directly with the new branch graduated from basic training.

Speaking in support of Huffman’s newly proposed legislation, Peace Action President Kevin Martin said, “Outer space must be de-militarized and kept as a realm strictly for peaceful exploration. The Space Force is an absurd, duplicative waste of taxpayer dollars, and richly deserves the ridicule it has garnered. Peace Action, the largest grassroots peace and disarmament organization in the US, commends and endorses Rep. Huffman’s ‘No Militarization of Space Act’ to abolish the Space Farce.”

Andrew Lautz, the Director of Federal Policy at National Taxpayers Union said, “The Space Force has quickly become a taxpayer boondoggle that adds layers of bureaucracy and waste to an already-bloated defense budget.”

“Americans don’t want more wasteful military spending, which means Congress should pass the No Militarization of Space Act before the Space Force budget inevitably skyrockets,” Sean Vitka, the senior policy counsel for Demand Progress, also said in support of Huffman’s bill.

In February, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki appeared to compare press questions about the Space Force to questions about the paint scheme of Air Force One, raising criticisms that President Joe Biden’s administration does not take the branch seriously. In a subsequent statement, Psaki said, “They [Space Force] absolutely have the full support of the Biden administration and we are not revisiting the decision to establish the Space Force. The desire for the Department of Defense to focus greater attention and resources on the growing security challenges in space has long been a bipartisan issue, and formed by numerous independent commissions and studies conducted by multiple administrations, and thousands of men and women proudly serve in the Space Force.”

I don’t anticipate this to go anywhere. Far too many in the military-industrial complex are making mad money off this for it to go back.

Category: "Your Tax Dollars At Work", Air Force, Space Force

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Mustang Major

I wonder if the proposed Space Force uniforms had anything to do with the legislation?

Anonymous

Probably encouraged it…

MI Ranger

This seems like a lot of wasted oxygen! There has been a long standing agreement about the militarization of space since before I was born. According to these guys, the Space Force does not violate it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty
(trust as much as you read their citations)

Regardless of there being a Space Force, the tasks existed in the Air Force, and to some extent in other branches. The Previous President I think took ire in how the Air Force was using excess money not spent on it (for other things denied them)!
Maybe these wonderful representatives can explain the Billions wasted by them first!!! Did anyone explain these mega thinkers, that the Space Force does not actually work in space!?

Hack Stone

It’s nice to see that Democrats are showing concern about billions of taxpayer dollars being wasted. Why stop with Space Force? Quite confident with little effort they could find other government programs that are a waste of government resources.

And of course, every dollar that the Biden Administration is spending to fight climate change is being legitimately spent and is not lining the pockets of donors to the Democrat Party.

A Proud Infidel®™️

Gee whiz, D-rats going full throttle Major Moonbat every chance they get, what a surprise!

E4 Mafia '83-'87

“…Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Maxine Waters (D-CA)…” answer “Present” in the roll call for the Galactically Stupid? Just tell Tlaib you can bomb Jews from Space and Mad Max her husband can real estate in the Cosmos and they’ll both jump onboard.

KoB

And the destruction of America continues unabated. What these useful idiots don’t realize is that THEY will be the FIRST (ht 2 Roh-Dog) to be stood against the wall and shot when the Chinese Communists take over.

Roh-Dog

Let them eat Szechuan!
The remnant of America will have to inculcate the smoldering heap They’ll leave us with.
Dr. Strangetits or: How I Learned to Stop Suffering Egomaniacal Fools and Love the Banality of Evil

Old tanker

The usual bunch of anti Trump asshats doing this. All just to say they shut down something that Trump did. I am not a huge fan of the “space force” but I assume eventually we will need something like it. That is assuming the dems don’t tax everyone back into the stone age.

We SO need term limits.

Green Thumb

“Far too many in the military-industrial complex are making mad money off this for it to go back.”

Including the False Commander “Phony” Phil Monkress (CEO of All-Points Logistics) and his being awarded taxpayer-funded contracts based on highly questionable and potentially felonious Native American, Navy SEAL and Law Enforcement claims.

I also wonder if these folks are in on it? They obviously could care less about Phildo’s claims. Honor seems to go by the wayside when you can make a few extra bucks. Gets pretty easy to look the other way, I suppose.

Curious to hear what Rich, Jim and Jason have to say….

https://spacecoastdaily.com/2021/05/business-spotlight-space-coast-based-all-points-forms-new-board-of-advisors/

5JC

With their budget they could totally buy 2 squadrons of F22s to sit on a tarmac somewhere.

26Limabeans

“Space Force” seems so empty a term.
Especially in an area that is essentially a vacuum.
Can’t let the Air Force have it because….no air!
Lets call the whole thing off…

https://youtu.be/fm8fv9xBRYs?t=37

David

Probably descended from the folks millenia ago who said “wars are fought on land, water is only for fishing.” They ignore basic human nature: if we go there, we can and will fight there.

Sparks

Space has been militarized since everyone who could afford to, put spy satellites into orbit did so. Along with other dark projects.

Just reading the proponents of this makes it wrong to me.

Poetrooper

“Just reading the proponents of this makes it wrong to me.”

True dat…and then look who sides with them:
V
V
V
V
V

Commissar

It was a dumb vanity project.

Justified post hoc by yes-men and clingers.

A consolidated space command is more than sufficient for the task set.

SFC D

Consolidated under which branch? And why that branch? Tell us your plan, oh wise one! We beseech you!

Claw

D, don’t expect an answer anytime soon. Lars is too busy right now Brassoing a badge while muttering under his breath:

“I earned my CAB, I earned my CAB”/s

Sapper3307

“I earned my faster than light badge” in the bedroom.
Lars

Commissar

Fuck off. I responded to a comment directly claiming I didn’t.

I never once mentioned it before…nor would I have.

And I didn’t independently pursue this. I crossed paths with the sergeant major at an event for a fellow soldier and he asked wether I ever received it. When I said “no”, he said he would help me fix it.

Claw

“Fuck off”? Ouch, that one hurt.

Now, go to the basement and polish your never awarded CAB.

26Limabeans

I recall a rather clever punishment where the offender had to polish
all the low quarters left by his bunk each evening.
People started leaving all sorts of shit to be polished.
The brass candelabra though was the end of it.

Commissar

Air Force.

A Proud Infidel®™

Come to think of it, are you also in lockstep with “Heels in the Air” Harris about abolishing ICE?

Mustang Major

I have to agree, as space shuttle door gunners have always been Army.

5JC

You are just an expert on everything. You should tell Russia, China and France they are all dumb and vain too for having a Space Force.

Commissar

None of them do.

We remain he only country in the world with an independent space force branch.

All the countries you listed have their space defense assets under other branches or directorates.

Even after we did it, nobody thought it was a good idea to do it themselves.

Because it was a dumb to do it in the first place.

A Proud Infidel®™

It’s only “dumb” to you because Donald Trump did it, if your boy Bernie did it you’d be creaming your jeans!

Jeff LPH 3, 63-66

If the Kremlin peeps shit can the Space Force, that could lead to Ming The Merciless on the planet Mongo come out of hiding and in the open again and try using his powerful ray gun and mess up the earth with tidal waves, earthquakes and major hurricanes from the destroyer ray from Mongo. We need you Flash and forthwith.

Roh-Dog

Or worse, Marvin the Martian
https://youtu.be/9Apg8tw72so

USAFRetired

Since Trump created it I’m surprised it took so long for someone to attempt to kill it. We’ll see what happens. TDS Orange Man bad.

Prior Service

Rep Waters, et al, introduce the “Cede Space to the Chinese” Act of 2021, otherwise titled the “Show me you are ignorant” bill.

11B-Mailclerk

So the Donks want set the precedent of disestablishment of government programs.

OK,then, game on.

Whoops. Did Donks think this through? Nah.

26Limabeans

What really needs to go is Bush’s DHS.

A Proud Infidel®™️

Along with the TSA.

26Limabeans

Make them all Border Patrol and put them on the border.
A wall of BP agents with arms locked…(triple entendre).

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[…] This ain’t Hell… covers Democrats introducing a bill to eliminate the Space Force […]

SteeleyI

Let me lay out the argument neutrally Let’s first dispense with the notion that space is ‘neutral’ and ‘unmilitarized’ as described in this bill. That is as silly as thinking the Taliban will have a diverse and inclusive government that will respect the rights of women and religious minorities. The US has an interest in space, as does every Great Power, and if we aren’t prepared to protect those interests we are ceding the ultimate high ground to our adversaries and enemies. To be clear, we aren’t really talking about combat in space, although that is definitely a thing. The Space Domain is really about ensuring freedom of maneuver for the systems that provide not just ISR, but also assured communications and precision location and timing, which is critical for our civil and military infrastructure. In addition, space is crucial for early warning of global strike, man made or naturally occurring. So, there is no question we need both a civil and military presence in space. Now, how to achieve it? The Goldwater-Nichols Act created the Joint Force as we know it, which consists of the armed services (Army, Navy, etc), and the Unified Command Plan (UCP). The UCP creates the Combatant Commands, also known as Unified Commands, each led by a 4 Star and reporting directly to the SecDef and President. The Service Chiefs and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs ARE NOT WARFIGHTERS. They are force providers and the provide advice to the president, but they do not actually make war plans or fight wars. The Space Force is a service. There are two flavors of Combatant Commands- Geographic (CENTCOM, EUCOM, AFRICOM, etc), and Functional (STRATCOM, SOCOM, TRANSCOM, etc). Geographic combatant commands, as the name implies, are warfighter responsible for an area of responsibility. Functional combatant commands do not have an AOR and are not really warfighter per se, but provide forces and capabilities to the Geographic Commanders. All Combatant Commands have what are called Service Component Commands- Army Central (ARCENT), Air Force Central, etc. These are the individual service troops either assigned or operationally controlled by the… Read more »

Honor and Courage

We will only need a Space Force when some other Country starts knocking down all the Satellites. When they turn the web and internet off everyone will go crazy, and will not be able to handle a blackout of information. Hell they won’t be ableto navagate anywhere without GPS. Oh well not to worry maybe Bezos’s Branson, and the Tesla king will save us all.

USMC Steve

Oh crap, I find myself in agreement with the socialist democrats. I am not a happy camper right now.

Skivvy Stacker

Just tell everyone that if we don’t have a Space Force they might lose their WiFi, and they’ll be clamoring for it to be funded more than any other service branch.

Spurwing Plover

If we instead pulled out of the United Nations and moved them all to Moscow turn the UN facility into a Homeless Shelter ad quit wasting our taxes on these Homeland Invaders