In November, someone started a petition requesting that the United States begin construction of a Death Star by 2016 and it received over 34,000 signatures
From Neowin:
White House addresses petition on building a Death Star
Today the White House responded and showed that they have a sense of humor. The title of the response is “This Isn't the Petition Response You're Looking For,” and it outlines three reasons why the project won’t begin.
The construction of the Death Star has been estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000. We're working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it.
The Administration does not support blowing up planets.
Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?
The article isn’t all tongue-in-cheek though. It explains that while we don’t have a Death Star, we do have a space station orbiting the planet, have spacecraft that are leaving the Solar System as well as exploring the Sun and Mars, and are building a replacement for the Hubble Space Telescope.
White House addresses petition on building a Death Star