Senate confirms Isaacman as NASA administrator
WASHINGTON - The Senate confirmed Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator Dec. 17, concluding arguably the most unusual effort to select a leader in the space agency's history.
The Senate voted 67-30 to confirm Isaacman as the agency's 15th administrator. Sixteen Democrats joined 51 Republicans in voting for the nomination, while all 30 votes against it came from Democrats. The vote occurred after only a couple senators spoke on the Senate floor about the nomination.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, spoke in favor of Isaacman earlier in the day. "I do believe Mr. Isaacman is capable of successfully navigating the challenges facing the agency," she said. "I am optimistic that Mr. Isaacman will bring a steady hand and clear vision to NASA."
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., who chairs the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA as well as the Commerce Committee's space subcommittee, also spoke in support of the nomination. "The agency needs a permanent, Senate-confirmed leader," he said. "I'm confident he will provide the leadership NASA needs to sustain and advance America's leadership in space."
The confirmation ended a saga that began more than a year ago when then-President-elect Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Isaacman. At the time, Isaacman was best known as the billionaire founder of payments company Shift4 and as the commander of two private astronaut missions aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon: Inspiration4 in 2021 and Polaris Dawn in September 2024.
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Isaacman's nomination cleared the Senate Commerce Committee in April and was set for a full Senate vote in early June. On May 31, however, the White House announced it would withdraw the nomination after what Trump described on social media as "a thorough review of prior associations." That appeared to refer to Isaacman's history of political donations to both Democratic and Republican candidates and organizations.
In October there were reports that the White House was reconsidering him, including multiple meetings between Trump and Isaacman. That development coincided with growing frustration within the administration over the performance of NASA's acting administrator, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, according to industry sources.
Trump announced Nov. 4 that he intended to renominate Isaacman, using language similar to his previous nomination announcement last December.
"Jared's passion for space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new space economy make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new era," Trump said.
Trump did not explain why he changed his mind. Between May 31 and Nov. 4, Isaacman made two $1 million donations to MAGA Inc., a political action committee supporting Trump, as well as more than $175,000 in contributions to the Republican National Committee.
At a Senate Commerce Committee confirmation hearing Dec. 3, Isaacman said he made the donations while considering a potential political career and declined to speculate on why Trump reconsidered his nomination.
At that hearing, Isaacman supported calls by senators to revamp NASA's plans to return astronauts to the moon amid concerns about delays in the current Artemis architecture, including reliance on SpaceX's Starship lunar lander, that could allow China to be the next to land humans on the moon.
He also addressed questions about Project Athena, a report he drafted during his first confirmation process that proposed significant changes to NASA's structure and programs, including commercializing Earth science missions. Isaacman described the report as a "draft document" containing research requests but said he stood behind it.
Cantwell said on the Senate floor that she discussed Project Athena with Isaacman and was assured the report was intended as a "starting point of an in-depth conversation with NASA management and employees on how to ensure NASA remains the world's preeminent aerospace and technology organization." She said Isaacman also committed to sharing the results of the research requests with Congress before acting on them. "I take Mr. Isaacman at his word," she said.
The Senate Commerce Committee advanced Isaacman's nomination to the full Senate on an 18-10 vote Dec. 8, slightly narrower than the 19-9 vote on his first nomination in April. Committee leaders said at the second hearing they hoped the full Senate would act on the nomination by the end of the year.
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