The White Home on Saturday stated it can pull the nomination of tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator.
“It’s essential that the next leader of NASA is in complete alignment with President Trump’s America First agenda and a replacement will be announced directly by President Trump soon,” a White Home spokesperson instructed The Hill.
The Senate was slated to vote on his nomination within the coming days.
Isaacman labored alongside tech billionaire Elon Musk at SpaceX to fund the corporate’s first personal spacewalk, and he was considered one of 4 astronauts aboard the Polaris Daybreak flight this fall. He’s additionally the founder and CEO of Shift4, a fee processing firm.
President Trump introduced Isaacman as his choose to steer the area administration in December, describing him as “ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era.”
Isaacman testified earlier than the Senate in April as part of the affirmation course of. He superior out of committee in a 19-9 vote.
Senate Majority Chief John Thune filed for cloture to vote on Isaacman’s nomination on Might 22.
It isn’t instantly clear why the president pulled his nomination on Saturday. The transfer was first reported by Semafor.
In early April, Isaacman contradicted Musk about area journey priorities. The industrial astronaut instructed senators he would concentrate on returning individuals to the moon, quite than Mars, which has been a precedence of Musk’s for a while.
“I’d like nothing more than to see … Americans walking on the moon,” he stated in the course of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation listening to.
That is the most recent of numerous nominations Trump has pulled since returning to the White Home. He pulled his unique nominee for surgeon normal earlier this month.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who was nominated to function U.N. ambassador, was withdrawn from consideration in April amid tight margins within the GOP-controlled Home. Trump ultimately tapped Mike Waltz to be the nation’s U.N. ambassador after taking him out of the nationwide safety advisor function, now stuffed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A minimum of one Republican lawmaker has already opposed pulling Isaacman’s nomination.
“Astronaut and successful businessman @RookIsaacman was a strong choice by President Trump to lead NASA. I was proud to introduce Jared at his hearing and strongly oppose efforts to derail his nomination,” first-term Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) wrote in a Saturday put up on social media platform X.
Earlier on Saturday, far-right influencer Laura Loomer had reported that “deep state operatives” have been trying to stop Isaacman from serving on the helm of NASA.
