Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are once again backing a bill to create a Space National Guard, renewing a fight over how the Space Force will manage reserve service members.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Marco Rubuio, R-Fla., introduced the “Space National Guard Establishment Act” on Wednesday, arguing that the estimated 1,000 service members who perform space missions under the Air National Guard should be aligned under the Space Force.
“They should serve under the Space Force with the rest of our space units and fix the organizational disconnect that is undermining their training, resourcing, and recruiting,” Feinstein said in a Wednesday press release. “Leaving the Guard's space units under the Air Force is shortsighted and undermines our national security, and it must be remedied.”
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The bill is co-sponsored by Democratic Sens. Alex Padilla, John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, as well as Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Marsha Blackburn, Rick Scott and Mike Braun. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an Independent from Arizona, also backed the bill. U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
Feinstein and Rubio pushed for the legislation last year, but their bill saw little movement.
While the effort has some early bipartisan momentum, it also comes about two months…
