REYKJAV\u00cdK, Iceland \u2014 The White House is withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to be administrator of NASA, throwing an agency already reeling from proposed massive budget cuts into further disarray.<\/p>\n
In a statement to SpaceNews May 31, White House spokesperson Liz Huston said that the administration is looking for a new person to lead the agency. The statement came after a report<\/a> earlier in the day by Semafor that the White House would withdraw the nomination.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Administrator of NASA will help lead humanity into space and execute President Trump\u2019s bold mission of planting the American flag on the planet Mars,\u201d Huston stated. \u201cIt\u2019s essential that the next leader of NASA is in complete alignment with President Trump\u2019s America First agenda and a replacement will be announced directly by President Trump soon.\u201d<\/p>\n The statement did not disclose why the White House was seeking a new nominee, and Huston did not immediately respond to questions about the decision. The statement did not disclose whether the decision to withdraw the nomination was made by the White House or by Isaacman, although other sources state the decision was by the administration.<\/p>\n The decision to pull Isaacman\u2019s nomination comes as a shock to the space industry. Until this news, Isaacman appeared ready to be confirmed within days. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) filed cloture on the nomination May 22<\/a>, a procedural move that would have set up a vote to confirm Isaacman the week of June 3.<\/p>\n There was no public opposition to the nomination from Republicans, who hold the majority in the Senate, and several Democratic members of the Senate Commerce Committee voted with Republicans to favorably report the nomination to the full Senate April 30<\/a>.<\/p>\n Isaacman also had strong support from industry, with many organizations lobbying the Senate to first hold a confirmation hearing and then to confirm him. Isaacman had the support of 28 former NASA astronauts who signed a letter in March endorsing him<\/a>, as well as from former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine, who said that he thought Isaacman would be an \u201camazing\u201d administrator<\/a>.<\/p>\n One senator expressed dismay at reports that the White House might withdraw Isaacman\u2019s nomination. \u201cAstronaut and successful businessman @RookIsaacman was a strong choice by President Trump to lead NASA. I was proud to introduce Jared at his hearing and strongly oppose efforts to derail his nomination,\u201d Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) posted<\/a> on social media May 31.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear what caused the White House to change course on the nomination. Some sources speculate that it was linked to an eroding relationship between President Trump and Elon Musk, the chief executive of SpaceX who has been a close adviser to the president. The decision came a day after Trump and Musk held a press conference to mark the end of Musk\u2019s formal tenure as a special government employee supporting the Department of Government Efficiency, although the nomination was not mentioned during the public part of the briefing.<\/p>\n Isaacman was widely seen as Musk\u2019s choice to lead the agency. Isaacman had been a customer of SpaceX, leading the Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn private astronaut missions.<\/p>\n