President Trump names Sean Duffy as acting NASA administrator

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U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday evening the appointment of Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy as NASA’s interim administrator, replacing Janet Petro, who had been serving as Acting Administrator since Jan. 20.

Duffy’s appointment comes more than a month after President Trump rescinded his earlier nomination of tech billionaire Jared Isaacman. Isaacman, an entrepreneur, pilot, and two-time commander of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, had his nomination withdrawn just days before a scheduled Senate confirmation vote. The withdrawal was linked to Isaacman’s previous donations to certain Democratic Party members, despite these contributions being publicly declared months in advance.

Isaacman publicly responded to the decision with a measured tone, expressing gratitude for the nomination opportunity and continued support for the administration. President Trump later confirmed Elon Musk had originally recommended Isaacman for the role, though Trump cited concerns over potential conflicts of interest between Isaacman and Musk.

Acknowledging the President’s right to select a trusted leadership team, Isaacman noted that his removal left NASA without a confirmed leader, emphasizing the need for political leadership that the President trusts.

Duffy’s interim appointment seems designed to address this leadership vacuum. Unlike Janet Petro, who had previously served as director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and was a career civil servant, Duffy is already a member of President Trump’s cabinet. Isaacman endorsed the move, stating, “Short of a new nominee, this was a great move. NASA needs political leadership from someone the President trusts and has confidence in.”

Duffy accepted the appointment enthusiastically, posting on X, “Honored to accept this mission. Time to take over space. Let’s launch.”

This leadership shift arrives at a challenging moment for NASA. Last week, Congress passed the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” allocating nearly $10 billion in additional funding to NASA over the coming years. However, proposed reductions to NASA’s science budget in the Presidential Budget Request released in May have sparked significant controversy.

In response, all living former heads of NASA’s science division penned a letter to members of the House Appropriations Committee and the House Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee, urging Congress to maintain NASA science funding. Their letter warned that reducing funding would “cede U.S. leadership in space and science to China and other nations.”

Regardless of whether these proposed cuts are ultimately enacted, the impacts are already being felt. NASA has been running a Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) since February to voluntarily reduce its workforce and avoid forced layoffs under a Reduction in Force (RIF) program. Reports now indicate that over 2,000 NASA officials may leave the agency by the end of the fiscal year. Moreover, uneven staff departures across NASA centers might compel forced layoffs in certain locations to meet the administration’s staffing reduction goals.

Further complicating matters, NSF reports that several senior NASA officials across various programs have been encouraged to retire early, even if they had not applied for the DRP. Consequently, staffing shortages could impact multiple NASA programs, even if their budgets remain intact.

As NASA navigates these turbulent times, the implications of leadership changes and staffing challenges will become increasingly critical. NSF will continue to monitor these developments closely in the coming months.

For more NSF Video News Briefs, check out our new YouTube channel BREAKINGspace.

(Lead image: Sean Duffy, United States Secretary of Transportation. Credit: US Dept of Transportation)

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