WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Neal Dunn, M.D. (Florida-02), Congressman Salud Carbajal (California-24), Senator Marco Rubio (Florida), and Senator Ben Ray Luján (New Mexico) introduced the Secure U.S. Leadership in Space Act of 2024. The bill would amend the tax code to treat spaceports like airports and seaports by allowing them to receive tax-free bonds.

“Given the global instability, the U.S. must make the development of our space infrastructure a priority to remain competitive with our adversaries,” said Congressman Dunn. “Our airports and seaports receive tax-exempt bonds, and our spaceports should receive the same. This would incentivize private-public partnerships that bolster innovation and spur economic growth.”

China and Russia are increasingly investing in their space economies. To keep the United States competitive, the IRS Code must be amended to allow spaceports to expand and invest in infrastructure and other technological advances.

"As the Representative for Vandenberg Space Force Base, our nation’s West coast range, my communities and I are seeing the firsthand reality of the exponential increase in commercial space launches year after year,” said Congressman Carbajal. “Opening public-private revenue sources like municipal bonds, which were a foundational tool to meeting our nations’ needs when our new frontiers were the ocean or the air, will help us meet this important moment in the development of our space economy."

"We know that the Chinese Communist Party does not play by the rules when it comes to space. The Secure U.S. Leadership in Space Act of 2024, which acts on one of the recommendations outlined in the Select Committee's bipartisan policy report, will ensure the United States can win in space." said Chairman Gallagher.  "This act allows American businesses to use municipal bonds to expand American space launch capacity at spaceports. We want American innovation leading the charge in space, not the Chinese Communist Party.”

“Thank you to Sens. Rubio and Luján, and Reps. Dunn and Carbajal for propelling this important financial and national security policy forward,” said Rob Long, president and CEO, Space Florida. “This strategic policy change empowers our state and national leaders to leverage the power of financial markets to accelerate space infrastructure development and bolster the economy. Florida leads the nation in prioritizing space transportation development through our designation of space as a mode of transportation. This policy change will help bring that same level of investment to states across the nation, signaling to investors that space infrastructure is a viable investment that helps revolutionize the way we approach the space economy, all while reducing the burden on taxpayer dollars.” 

Read the bill here.