Texas Governor Greg Abbott has accused the Biden administration of “making a power grab” following proposals that could see serving Air National Guard personal transferred to support the Space Force without the consent of their respective governors.
Abbott made the warning on Monday in an X post where he also posted an open letter to President Joe Biden in which he claimed the plan, Legislative Proposal 480, “poses an intolerable threat to the Texas National Guard.” The proposal was made by the Department of the Air Force, which forms part of the federal Department of Defense.
Tensions between Republican Abbott and the Biden administration surged earlier this year after the Supreme Court ruled federal agents could remove razor-wire placed along the Mexican border on the governor’s orders in a bid to stop illegal immigration. This sparked a furious response from Abbott who claimed his state was being subject to an “invasion” and invoked its “constitutional authority to defend and protect itself.” As a result, a number of Democratic politicians called on Biden to federalize the Texas National Guard, removing it from Abbott’s control.
In his open letter to Biden, Abbott wrote: “Legislative Proposal 480, put forth by the U.S. Department of the Air Force, poses an intolerable threat to the Texas National Guard. That proposal would give the Secretary of the Air Force unilateral authority to transfer Air National Guard units to the Space Force—without first obtaining gubernatorial [state] consent.
“Although Texas does not have these types of missions, I strongly oppose any attempt to sideline governors when it comes to their respective National Guards.”
His letter concluded: “The U.S. Department of the Air Force should retract Legislative Proposal 480. Instead of attempting such a power grab in Congress, the U.S. Department of the Air Force should work with the affected governors to build up the Space Force in a way that is consistent with federal law.”
