Ted Cruz, Brian Babin Lead Push to Relocate NASA Headquarters to Houston

Senator Ted Cruz (R) and Congressman Brian Babin (R) are leading a coalition of Texas lawmakers urging the Trump administration to relocate NASA’s headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Houston’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) once its current lease expires in 2028.

In a letter to President Trump, Cruz, Babin, and over two dozen Texas Republicans argue that NASA’s leadership has become disconnected from its core operations and that moving its headquarters to Houston would restore alignment between decision-makers and mission execution.

“NASA’s leadership has languished in our nation’s capital,” the letter reads. “This seismic disconnect between NASA’s headquarters and its missions has opened the door to bureaucratic micromanagement and an erosion of centers’ interdependence.”

The lawmakers say Houston is the natural home for NASA headquarters, citing the city’s long-standing ties to America’s space program. JSC is home to over 12,000 NASA employees and supports more than 52,000 public and private sector jobs. It houses Mission Control, the astronaut corps, and the Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility.

“Perhaps no city is more closely linked to America’s space program than ‘Space City,’” the letter states.

Supporters also point to practical and economic advantages. Texas offers a lower cost of living, less than half that of the D.C. area, along with a strong business climate, three major research universities, and two commercial airports for easy national access.

They also emphasized Texas’s rapidly growing commercial space sector, noting that companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, and Axiom Space are already operating significant facilities in the state. The recently created Texas Space Commission aims to further boost innovation and attract space-related investment.

“For the United States to reach the surface of Mars, NASA must rely on a robust commercial space sector,” the lawmakers wrote. “No state offers greater economic and geographic benefits than Texas.”

The letter was signed by Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn (R) and 25 members of the Texas congressional delegation, including Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R), Michael McCaul (R), Monica De La Cruz (R), and Chip Roy (R).

“Houston offers the ideal location for NASA to return to its core mission of space exploration,” the letter concludes. “We strongly encourage you to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the great servants of NASA by relocating NASA’s headquarters to the Johnson Space Center.”

Relocating NASA’s headquarters, they argue, would reduce costs, boost efficiency, and re-center the agency around the people and facilities most directly involved in advancing its mission.