Senator Opposes Bridenstine Nomination to Lead NASA

[Judi Lynn]

By Jeff Foust, SpaceNews Writer | October 27, 2017 11:16am ET

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A day after the Senate Commerce Committee announced a confirmation hearing for Rep. Jim Bridenstine's (R-Okla.) nomination to be the next NASA administrator, one senator has announced her opposition to his bid.

In a three-page letter Oct. 26 sent to Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), the chairman and ranking member of the commerce committee, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said she opposed the nomination based on Bridenstine's past comments on issues ranging from climate change to equal rights.

"Rep. Bridenstine's background makes him an extremely concerning choice to lead this critical agency and its 19,000 diverse employees," Murray, the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, wrote. "Rep. Bridenstine's denial of climate science and consistent opposition to equal rights for women, immigrants, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals should disqualify him from consideration." [In Photos: Donald Trump and NASA]

Murray, in the letter, cited a number of examples of her concerns, including a one-minute speech Bridenstine gave on the House floor in 2013 questioning global warming. "Given that NASA's fiscal year 2018 budget requested $1.8 billion for Earth-observing and climate science missions," she wrote, "Rep. Bridenstine's failure to accept fundamental scientific truths about Earth's climate make him an ill-suited and dangerous choice to lead the agency."

More:
https://www.space.com/38587-senator-opposes-bridenstine-nomination-to-lead-nasa.html



Rep. Jim Bridenstine