[NOTE: This is an archive page and not a current alert. Bridenstine was confirmed on April 19, 2018.]
February 18, 2018
OFFICIAL NSS POLITICAL ACTION NETWORK ALERT
Attention all NSS members in every state, but voices from Kentucky and New York will resonate the most loudly in DC:
Quick Summary of Requested Action: Call, write, or email:
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky)[Majority Leader] with a contact form at:
https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=ContactForm
and a DC phone number of (202) 224-2541
317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York)[Minority Leader] with a contact form at:
https://www.schumer.senate.gov/contact/email-chuck
and a DC phone number of (202) 224-6542
322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
With the following message: Representative Jim Bridenstine was first put forward by the Administration to be NASA Administrator on September 1, 2017. At this point, his nomination has been held up in the Senate for five months. NASA has been without a permanent Administrator since January 20, 2017, more than a year. This situation is not good for NASA, and it is not good for our country. Please move Rep. Bridenstine’s nomination to the floor for an up or down vote, and end the political games. If Rep. Bridenstine is confirmed, NASA will have a new Administrator who is a former Navy Pilot, former executive director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium, and a driving force for space legislation in the House. If he is not confirmed, the Administration can move forward with a new nominee. Either way, America is better off than in the current endless limbo.
Explanation to NSS members: NSS is well aware that not all NSS members may support Representative Bridenstine. However, the current situation is not a good one for the country, and has the potential of becoming much worse. Simple fairness suggests that Bridenstine should be given an up or down vote. Whatever happens, the US and NASA will be better off. If Bridenstine wins, NSS believes that he will be a competent and useful NASA administrator who will strongly support commercial space. Although nothing can be certain, there is every reason to believe that as NASA Administrator Rep. Bridenstine will enforce the law and carry out the will of Congress as it relates to matters like climate change. If Bridenstine loses, a new candidate can be put forward and the process will continue.
