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U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) released the following statement on keeping the U.S. Space Command Headquarters in Colorado, not the state of Alabama.

“The Administration’s decision to keep Space Command in Colorado bows to the whims of politics over merit,” Sewell said. “Huntsville won this selection process fair and square based on the merits. In three separate reports, Huntsville reigned victorious, whereas Colorado did not come in second or even third. This reversal is as shameful as it is disappointing.

Sewell continued. “I expected more from the Biden Administration. A decision of this magnitude should not be about red states versus blue states, but rather what is in the best interest of our national security.

“To be clear, the Alabama Congressional Delegation stands united in opposition to this decision.”

U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Monday that Biden was convinced by the head of Space Command, Gen. James Dickinson, who argued that moving his headquarters now would jeopardize military readiness. Dickinson’s view, however, was in contrast to Air Force leadership, who studied the issue at length and determined that relocating to Huntsville, Alabama, was the right move.