Sen. Katie Britt Pushed Trump’s Renominated NASA Nominee on Past Comments

Ahead of his confirmation hearing this week, President Donald Trump’s nominee for NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman met with Alabama Sen. Katie Britt recently, where she pressed him for more than an hour on some of his past comments about a space center in her state.

Alabama is home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, which plays a vital role in the Artemis program, the Space Launch System and the agency’s nuclear propulsion research. Trump’s reconciliation bill provided $4.1 billion for the Space Launch System rockets to support the fourth and fifth Artemis missions, a huge boon to Alabama.

Isaacman was previously nominated for the post but had his nomination withdrawn amid a feud between Trump and Elon Musk, a close ally of Isaacman’s. Shortly following the withdrawal of the nomination, Isaacman gave an interview to Aviation Week, where he suggested the U.S. should move away from the Space Launch System, adding that legislators from those states were not troubled by the idea.

“I was planting a lot of seeds with all the SLS political leadership from all those states of pivoting to nuclear-electric propulsion, and they were fine with it,” Isaacman told the outlet. “They’re not rocket scientists and engineers. They’re not saying, ‘No, the only way from now until the end of time is SLS.’ They just need something to pivot to.”

Britt was concerned that prematurely moving away from the Space Launch System rocket would hurt both Alabama and the U.S. space program, since it is the only rocket currently capable of taking astronauts and large cargo directly to lunar orbit in a single launch.

Britt told NOTUS she “wanted an opportunity to just speak very frankly and candidly with him” about these issues and his comments. The week before Thanksgiving, the two sat down.

Britt sought commitments that the money earmarked in the reconciliation bill for the Artemis projects would remain and that Marshall’s mission would be preserved.

“I appreciated his time and the ability to talk through a number of things,” Britt told NOTUS in an interview. “I was pleased to hear that he is committed to ensuring that the opportunities that were presented in the working families tax cut for space, making good on those. Particularly through the Artemis V and using the SLS rocket.”

Britt also said Isaacman made a commitment that “Marshall’s core mission wouldn’t change.”

“We talked through the importance of both nuclear thermal propulsion and nuclear electric propulsion, and that both were needed for deep space exploration,” Britt said. “He is committed to continuing to develop nuclear thermal propulsion.”

She said they left the meeting with “a mutual understanding that the road back to the moon and to Mars leads through Marshall and the incredible work that the men and women there do.” And while she was reassured after the meeting, she added that she wants to see those commitments made publicly.

“I’m excited to watch the hearing tomorrow, and I’m hopeful that many of the conversations that we had in my office will have an opportunity to hear those in the public square,” Britt said.

Isaacman is expected to address some of Britt’s concerns in his opening remarks at his hearing Wednesday, according to excerpts obtained by NOTUS. He is expected to say that “the Congress, and specifically this Committee, understand the urgency of the moment — placing a historic investment in human space exploration that President Trump signed in the One Big Beautiful Bill. It’s now time for NASA and our partners to deliver.”

He is also expected to say, “We will never accept a gap in capabilities again — not with our space station presence in low Earth orbit or our ability to send American astronauts.”

Isaacman’s confirmation has been a wild ride, even by Trump administration standards. He was originally withdrawn, and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy was made interim NASA administrator. Duffy wanted to keep the position by folding NASA into the Department of Transportation, prompting a proxy war between Duffy and his allies and Isaacman and those backing him.

Ultimately, Vice President JD Vance and chief of staff Susie Wiles won, and Isaacman was renominated.