Amidst unprecedented budget cuts and looming layoffs, US President Donald Trump has appointed Transport Secretary Sean Duffy as NASA administrator.
The appointment is temporary and Duffy will continue to lead the Department of Transport, assuming the role of NASA, Trump said. In the post His social media site, True Social.
“Shaun does an incredible job in handling our country’s transportation operations, including creating cutting-edge air traffic control systems, while also rebuilding roads and bridges, making them efficient and beautiful,” Trump said.
The appointment is very rare. Even on the tentative note, there is no precedent for the acting chief who leads NASA. Historically, NASA administrators have generally been former astronauts, longtime NASA bureaucrats, former lawmakers or military veterans.
Although DOT does not have a formal science or space background, DOT oversees the Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees commercial space transport and air traffic control. As he performs both leadership roles simultaneously, his NASA tenure may focus on implementing Trump’s short-term policy goals.
These goals include widespread reductions in NASA’s budget, which could cut many science initiatives and dramatically reduce its workforce. As spelled in “One Big Beautiful Invoice” by the White House, Cut cuts reduce agency funds by 25% and staff by 5,000.
Duffy’s appointment comes weeks after Trump suddenly retracted the appointment of billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isakuman to NASA administrators. Isaacman, who made his fortune from his company Shift4 payments, flew into space twice on the Private SpaceX mission. Trump said he revoked his support following a “full review of previous associations,” citing Isaac Man’s donation to a Democratic candidate and his close ties with billionaire SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
Trump’s reversal against Isaacman was reportedly linked to the sourness of the president-Musk relationship.
“Also, when NASA was a big part of Elon’s corporate life, I thought it would be inappropriate for Elon’s very close friend, who was in the space business, to run NASA,” Trump said. Another thing Truth social post.
Duffy will replace longtime NASA bureaucrat, Kennedy Space Center director Janet Petro. It is unclear how long he will remain in that position.
