If the primary goal is sustainable payloads to the moon. I think Congress considers this a secondary goal over funding and jobs being directed at their states.
This is more important than it seems on the surface and is often a good thing.
You want to train and preserve local expertise with heavy industries.
That ensures generations of successful companies rejuvenating your economy as opposed to relying on federal handouts.
These people don’t grow on trees(/classrooms).
NASA and ULA like programs trained and built expert training to create those citizens.
Being able to recruit them is a non-goal.
It is in the definition: “for the people”.
These people enjoy a cushy revolving door between several private and public sector aerospace jobs.