Greg Abbott Warns of Texas National Guard 'Power Grab'

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."

A White House official told Newsweek: "For nearly three years, the administration has been clear in its strong opposition to the creation of a Space National Guard. The Department of Defense has evaluated several options, and the administration supports DOD's recommendation of a one-time transfer of a small number of Guard missions into the United States Space Force.

"This is consistent with the structure authorized by Congress for the U.S. Space Force in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act."

Newsweek contacted the U.S. Department of the Air Force by online contact form and telephone at 5 a.m. ET on Tuesday. This article will be updated if any of the above wish to comment.

Under the proposals several hundred Air National Guard personnel would be transferred to roles in the Space Force, the U.S. military's space branch which was created by President Donald Trump.

In April, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told lawmakers the proposal was the response to "a unique situation" and that the military has "no intention to make any other changes" regarding state National Guards.

The plan was backed by House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers, a Republican, who said he was "fully supportive" of the proposals and argued opponents shouldn't "waste their time" lobbying against it.

However, a joint letter opposing the plan was signed by the governors of 48 states and five U.S. territories, though Abbott wasn't included.

Referring to state National Guards, it said: "Governors must maintain full authority as Commanders in Chief of these assets to effectively protect operational readiness and America's communities.

"Legislation that sidesteps, eliminates or otherwise reduces Governors' authority within their states and territories undermines longstanding partnerships, precedence, military readiness and operational efficacy.

"This action also negatively affects the important relationships between Governors and DOD[Department of Defense] at a time when we need to have full trust and confidence between the two to meet the growing threats posed by the era of strategic competition as well as natural disasters."

In an article published by military website Breaking Defense, Francis M. McGinn, president of the National Guard Association, claimed Legislative Proposal 480 represents an "existential threat to the National Guard as a whole."

Kendall later hit back, commenting: "The reaction from the Guard, quite frankly, has been over the top on this. I mean, I read an article this morning by the head of the Guard foundation that this was an 'existential threat' to the Guard. We're talking 500-plus people here."

Update 5/7/24, 10:15 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with comment from a White House official.