Biden’s Controversial Move: National Guard Power Grab Sparks Outrage

Governor Abbott called it “a power grab.” Greg Abbott (R – Texas) expressed his opposition to Biden’s proposal that members of the Air National Guard be transferred to the Space Force, without permission from state or territorial governors. Fox News reported that Abbott wrote a letter on May 3rd stating, “Proposal gives the Secretary of Air Force the unilateral authority to move Air National Guard units into the Space Force without first obtaining the gubernatorial approval.”

Abbott said:

Legislative Proposal 48 would create a dangerous precedent by allowing Secretaries to demolish National Guard units at their discretion. The Texas National Guard members must be ready to respond in the event of natural disasters, civil unrest, or cartel activity.

Abbott is not the only one who opposes this move. The Blaze reports that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) sent a similar letter on Friday. In April, 48 governors and five U.S. Territories also voiced their opposition to LP 480.

The Blaze reports:

LP480 allows the Secretary of Air Force to transfer to the U.S. Space Force the space-related functions that are currently carried out by the Air National Guard. The secretary could change an ANG unit’s status to a USSF unit, deactivate it, or assign it to “a new Federal Mission.”

The proposed legislation waives the requirement that a unit of the National Guard must first receive consent from a governor before any changes can be made.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall endorsed a draft bill in March and forwarded it to the Senate Armed Services Committee. Kendall assured that the legislation would not create a precedent whereby other services could take over the national guards of their respective states without the governors’ permission. Mike Rogers, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and a Republican from Michigan, is said to have approved the move.

Rogers said, “I believe that what the Air Force suggests is going to succeed. We’re used to seeing the National Guard Association as a very politicized organization, which engages in these kinds of political activities. It’s not a place where they should waste time, and it isn’t a place where they will be successful.

McGinn is not in agreement. In an April op-ed, he described the move as “an existential danger to the National Guard”. He also called it “an attempt by Congress to bypass its long-standing authority to require governors’ consent before National Guard units could be removed from states.”

Even in the darkest of moments, I’d like to believe that the Left’s quest for power isn’t as extreme and dystopian at times as it may seem. Even though it may sound naive, I hope that remnants of the Democrat Party and government are smelling the wind and realizing the United States is becoming what it was designed to be. Every day, news comes out that the country can sink to yet another level.

It is possible that the government wants to suppress opposition and ensure it can control borders. It’s likely that this is part of their thinking. They may also believe, in their arrogance, that a federal system under their control would naturally consolidate power. As time passes, people in power tend to want more power.