Let's consider this in the context of engineering, rather than politics. It's not clear that this is a good rule. If you want to get mass from ground to orbit,

Let's consider this in the context of engineering, rather than politics. It's not clear that this is a good rule. If you want to get mass from ground to orbit, the rocket equation means that you want the least quantity of infrastructure mass that will work, maximizing the payload fraction. If you're in charge of safety equipment on an orbital station, you want the most effective things you can cram in to your mass budget. Life support? Whenever possible, eliminate it in favor of automation. But if you need it, you either want minimal (emergency only) or maximal (resilient against disasters) to the extent of your available space/power/mass.