NASA Chief Says He Will Step Down When Biden Takes Office
George Dvorsky
Yesterday 2:35PM
Jim Bridenstine will reportedly step down soon from his top role at NASA, saying he would be a poor fit for the job under a Biden administration. Appointed by the outgoing, impeached President Donald Trump, the Republican former congressman ended up being actually competent as leader of NASA, despite his history of climate change denial and lack of a background in science.
A new item will soon have to be added to President-elect Joe Biden’s already lengthy to-do list, as an important vacancy is set to emerge at NASA. Jim Bridenstine, after a three-year stint as NASA chief, plans to leave the role behind, Irene Klotz reports at Aviation Week.
Bridenstine told Klotz his decision wasn’t motivated by politics and that new NASA leadership will be required under Biden.
The interests of NASA and the U.S. space exploration program will be best served by “somebody who has a close relationship with the president of the United States,” he said on Sunday, after it became clear that Biden had won the presidency. “You need somebody who is trusted by the administration... including the OMB [Office of Management and Budget], the National Space Council and the National Security Council, and I think that I would not be the right person for that in a new administration,” said Bridenstine, as reported in Aviation Week.
More:
https://gizmodo.com/nasa-chief-says-he-will-step-down-when-biden-takes-offi-1845621702
President Donald Trump gives the signing pen to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine on June 18.
Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
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