Providing for Congressional Disapproval of A Rule Submitted By Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection

Floor Speech

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Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I rise today to voice my strong support for the nomination of Congressman James ``Jim'' Bridenstine to be the next NASA Administrator. On November 1, 2017, the Senate Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, which I chair, held a confirmation hearing for Congressman Bridenstine's nomination and reported his nomination favorably on November 8, 2017, and again on January 18, 2018.

So far, it has been 1 year and nearly 3 months since this important agency has had a Senate-confirmed Administrator. What is more, NASA's Acting Administrator, Robert Lightfoot, will retire at the end of this month. Congressman Bridenstine's vision, experience, and passion for NASA's vital mission are unquestionable, and I believe that his leadership will not only serve the agency well, but that his confirmation will give NASA the leadership it deserves.

Congressman Bridenstine has an extensive record of both military and public service. In 1998, he began his distinguished military career serving as an aviator in the U.S. Navy. As an Active Duty pilot in the Navy, he flew the E-2C Hawkeye off the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and deployed for multiple combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. While still on Active Duty, he transitioned to the F- 18 Hornet and flew as an ``aggressor'' at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare ``Top Gun'' Center.

After leaving Active Duty in 2007, Congressman Bridenstine returned to Tulsa, OK. He continued his military service in the Navy Reserve, flying counterdrug missions in Central and South America. He is currently a member of the 137th Special Operations Wing of the Oklahoma Air National Guard, where he serves at the rank of major.

In 2012, he was elected to the House of Representatives to represent Oklahoma's First Congressional District.

He currently serves on both the House Armed Services Committee and the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, where he has distinguished himself as a leader on space policy.

In spite of Congressman Bridenstine's exceptional military and public service, some of my colleagues have expressed concerns about his nomination.

With regard to these concerns, I would note that the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee has received significant bipartisan support from the space community for Congressman Bridenstine's nomination. In fact, over 50 space-related leaders and organizations have submitted letters of support, including Democratic Congressman Perlmutter, former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, and astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

Beyond the support of this diverse group of stakeholders in the space community, Congressman Bridenstine also enjoys the support of his colleagues in the House. On March 20, 2018, more than 60 Members of the House of Representatives, both Republicans and Democrats, signed a letter to Senate leadership requesting that Congressman Bridenstine's nomination move forward in the Senate.

The endorsement of so many stakeholders in the space community and the endorsement of Congressman Bridenstine's colleagues are reflective of the truly bipartisan nature of what Congressman Bridenstine would like to accomplish at NASA. Because of this, I am confident that Congressman Bridenstine's leadership would serve NASA well.

I urge my colleagues to support his nomination.

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