President Donald Trump tapped Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to serve as the interim administrator of NASA on Wednesday, July 9. The role has been vacant since Trump withdrew his initial nominee, billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman, at the end of May.
This decision came as a surprise to many. Duffy has no aerospace background and already has a lot on his plate, overseeing 55,000 Department of Transportation employees across 11 offices and agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). His appointment caught NASA officials off guard on Wednesday, as they were reportedly expecting Janet Petreo to remain in place through the end of the year, according to Ars Technica. Petro became acting administrator in January and has performed various management and leadership roles at NASA for years. Sources told Ars she did nothing to warrant losing her position, but it seems Trump wanted someone he’s friendlier with to take on the role while he selects a new nominee.
Enter, Duffy. In many ways, it’s easy to see why Trump would choose him to lead NASA, especially at a time when the agency is mired in political contention. What the former House Republican, Fox News host, and reality TV star lacks in relevant experience, he makes up for in loyalty to the Trump administration.
Duffy is likely to uphold Trump’s heavily contested vision for NASA, outlined in the White House’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal. Wednesday’s announcement came on the eve of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s scheduled markup of this proposal, though this now appears to have been postponed. If signed, the budget would slash NASA’s overall funding by roughly 25%, including a 50% reduction in science funding that would shift the agency’s focus toward human exploration on the Moon and Mars while gutting planetary science missions. Duffy’s appointment also came as Politico reported that more than 2,100 senior-ranking NASA employees are set to leave their jobs under pressure from the administration to reduce staff through early retirement, buyouts, and deferred resignations.
“Sean is doing a TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country’s Transportation Affairs, including creating a state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control systems, while at the same time rebuilding our roads and bridges, making them efficient, and beautiful, again,” Trump posted on Truth Social Wednesday. “He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time.”
“Honored to accept this mission,” Duffy said in a repost of Trump’s comments on X. “Time to take over space. Let’s launch.”
Even Isaacman appeared pleased with Trump’s choice, praising it as a “great move” in a post on X. “NASA needs political leadership from someone the President trusts and has confidence in,” he said. Just over a month ago, Trump pulled the rug out from under Isaacman by withdrawing his nomination for 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,” Liz Huston, a spokesperson for the White House, told Space.com in an emailed statement on May 31.
This marked the beginning of the end for Trump’s political allyship with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who had recommended Isaacman to Trump. The two billionaires have a strong business relationship; Isaacman has flown on two SpaceX missions, and his company, Shift4Payments, is a SpaceX customer. During his Senate confirmation hearings, lawmakers raised concerns that instating Isaacman as NASA administrator could give SpaceX preferential treatment. When Trump rescinded Isaacman’s nomination, he drove a wedge between him and Musk, kicking off a feud that escalated due to Musk’s disapproval of Trump’s “big, beautiful, bill.” Their quarrel is still playing out largely over their respective social media platforms.
It’s not inconceivable that Duffy could use his new position to advocate for NASA employees sounding the alarm about staffing and budget cuts. He has more political sway than Petro and may be able to negotiate compromises with the President. That said, there’s no real reason to believe he will do so. Without a science background, it’s unlikely that the consequences of eviscerating NASA’s research budget will resonate with him. What’s more, his main priorities will be maintaining his good standing with Trump—that is, carrying out the President’s vision for NASA—and meeting the expectations of his primary role as secretary of transportation.
At the end of the day, the reasons why Trump selected Duffy for this task are clear. NASA’s future, however, remains uncertain.
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