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Hello everyone,
Over the past year, I’ve repeatedly raised concerns that the Trump administration’s decision to move U.S. Space Command from Colorado to Alabama was based on a flawed, untested, and inconsistent process. Just yesterday, the Government Accountability Office issued a report that confirms that the basing process lacked integrity and neglected key national security considerations.
The report revealed that in a White House meeting in January 2021, senior military leadership recommended Colorado Springs as the preferred location for Space Command due to the unique ability of Peterson Space Force Base to reach Full Operational Capability significantly faster than any other potential location, and at a significantly lower cost. However, after this meeting, the Trump administration announced a base in Alabama as its selection.
Our national security should be the deciding factor in our basing decisions – and we should all have serious concerns about how the previous administration reached this conclusion, which contradicts the military leadership’s stated goal of reaching Full Operational Capability as quickly as possible.
With two investigations now complete, the shortcomings of the Space Command basing process are fully available to the Biden Administration. I’m urging President Biden and his administration to review the reports’ findings, and make a decision that prioritizes our national security and mission in space.
The American people must be able to trust that this decision is objective and provides for our national security and leadership in space. Peterson Space Force Base remains the only and best home for U.S. Space Command. And as always, please feel free to contact my office at any time.
Sincerely,
Michael
ENSURING COLORADO COUNTIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS CAN FUND ESSENTIAL SERVICES
This week, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo and I led a bipartisan group of 30 of our colleagues in pushing for full funding for the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program in the funding bill.
Without full funding for the PILT program, counties across Colorado can’t provide essential services like law enforcement, search and rescue, road maintenance, and public health programs to their residents and the visitors that come to experience our public lands. In addition to fully funding the program in the government funding bill, we’ll keep working toward a long-term solution for PILT that will provide counties and local governments sustained funding and more predictability.
IMPROVING CLEAN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE ON OUR TRIBAL LANDS
Access to clean water is a human right. But the unacceptable reality is that many of our Tribal communities still do not have access to clean drinking water. That’s why I was pleased to welcome the news this week that the Indian Health Services is funding seven critical water projects for the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Tribes this year.
These projects will help ensure access to clean water for hundreds of families across the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Tribes. And while there’s still much work ahead of us, this is a major step toward fulfilling our government’s obligation to our Tribal communities.
STRENGTHENING THE WATER SOURCE PROTECTION PROGRAM
The health of our forests, our watersheds, and our economy are deeply connected. Our National Forest System lands are the single most important source of water in the country, yet many of our watersheds are under immense stress as climate change worsens.
Congress created the Water Source Protection Program in 2018 to encourage local partnerships that improve forest health and benefit downstream communities, but the program has yet to receive dedicated funding. That’s why this week, I led a group of my Western colleagues in requesting full funding for the program in this year’s funding bill.
CELEBRATING PRIDE
Every year, Pride Month is an opportunity for us to celebrate the historic steps we have taken toward equality for the LGBTQ community. Just last week, the Senate confirmed Charlotte Sweeney to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, making her the first openly gay woman to serve as a federal judge west of the Mississippi.
But many LGBTQ Coloradans continue to face discrimination and violence in their daily lives. That’s why I’m fighting to pass the Equality Act. Colorado passed our version of the Equality Act over a decade ago – and it’s time for Washington to follow Colorado’s lead to ban discrimination against LGBTQ Americans once and for all.
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