Governor Greg Abbott sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to retract the U.S. Department of the Air Force’s Legislative Proposal 480 which poses a threat to the Texas National Guard.
The proposal would set a dangerous precedent by giving the Secretary of the Air Force unilateral authority to transfer Air National Guard units to the Space Force—sidelining Governors as the commander-in-chief of their respective National Guards.
“In recent years, members of the Texas National Guard have heroically responded to hurricanes, wildfires, and a variety of other disasters, including the one at the Texas-Mexico border,” reads the letter. “Legislative Proposal 480, put forth by the U.S. Department of the Air Force, poses an intolerable threat to the Texas National Guard. Congress has long required the consent of a governor before units can be transferred out of the National Guard he commands. By departing from this sensible arrangement, and allowing the Secretaries to dismantle National Guard units on a whim, Legislative Proposal 480 would set a dangerous precedent. Members of the Texas National Guard must always stand ready to respond to natural disasters, civil disturbances, cartel activity that threaten our way of life. 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.”
