Huffman introduces bill to abolish Space Force – The Ukiah Daily Journal

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Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) introduced the No Militarization of Space Act, to abolish the Space Force which he describes as expensive and unnecessary. It comes as Congress prepares to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual bill that authorizes funding for the Pentagon.

“The long-standing neutrality of space has fostered an era of competitive, non-militarized exploration that every nation and generation has enjoyed since the early days of space travel. But since its inception under the former Trump administration, the Space Force has threatened long-standing peace and blatantly wasted billions of taxpayer dollars, ”said Representative Huffman. “It’s time we returned our attention to its place: addressing urgent national and international priorities such as tackling COVID-19, climate change and growing economic inequalities. Our mission must be to support the American people, not to spend billions on the militarization of space. “

Huffman says the bill does not mean he opposes space exploration. “I’m a big fan of space exploration in general, in fact my stepfather made his career at NASA. The advances in science and technology resulting from the exploration of space cannot be overstated. But militarization and space warfare just isn’t a good idea and we shouldn’t waste billions of taxpayer dollars on it.

The National Taxpayers Union, Peace Action and Taxpayers for Common Sense agree with Huffman.

“Space Force has quickly become a taxpayer boondoggle adding layers of bureaucracy and waste to an already inflated defense budget. Representative Huffman’s legislation would wipe out the Space Force before it’s too late to do so, potentially saving taxpayers billions of dollars. The NTU congratulates Representative Huffman for bringing this bill forward, ”said Andrew Lautz, director of federal policy at the National Taxpayers Union.

“Outer space must be demilitarized and kept as a domain strictly for peaceful exploration,” added Kevin Martin, president of Peace Action. “Space Force is an absurd and redundant waste of taxpayer dollars, and more than deserves the ridicule it has generated. Peace Action, the largest grassroots peace and disarmament organization in the United States, congratulates and approves Representative Huffman’s “No Militarization of Space Act” to abolish the space farce.

“This legislation would end the reckless rush to create a new military service, the Space Force, and save taxpayers billions of dollars in unnecessary spending. Eliminating the Space Force within a year and transferring all the authorities and functions to the appropriate commands of the armed forces is the most fiscally responsible thing. To be clear, the United States has to be a leader in space, but creating a whole new service wasn’t going to accomplish that; it was just going to create an expensive new bureaucracy, ”said Steve Ellis, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense.

The US Space Force was established on December 20, 2019 with the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020 – despite the country’s commitment to the Outer Space Treaty. of 1967, which restricts the placement of weapons of mass destruction in outer space and prohibits military maneuvers. on the heavenly bodies. U.S. military spending topped nearly $ 704 billion in fiscal 2021, including $ 15.5 billion for the Space Force. The Space Force has also unnecessarily duplicated much of the work that exists within the Air Force, including that of the Space Command, creating bureaucratic confusion and additional waste and endangering U.S. and Allied national security.

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