Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill bankrolls $85M Space Shuttle shuffle

Lurking in the text contained within the One Big Beautiful Bill, which was passed by the US Senate yesterday, is an $85 million allocation for shifting a "space vehicle" to a new location, widely interpreted as a move of the retired Space Shuttle Discovery orbiter from Virginia to Houston.

The One Big Beautiful Bill is the Trump administration's budget reconciliation proposal. It has been criticized by some – most vocally by Elon Musk, who fell out with Trump after claiming it was a "pork-filled abomination." It includes a transformative legislative package that funds critical infrastructure upgrades, the border wall with Mexico, and tax relief – mostly helping the rich.

The text on the space vehicle is on page 157 of this massive 800+ page PDF. The amended text was released by Ted Cruz (R-TX), Chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, last week and called for the relocation of ...