Overview

• The White House announced on May 31 that it had rescinded Jared Isaacman’s nomination for NASA administrator, citing the need for full alignment with President Trump’s America First agenda.
• Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur who funded and commanded private SpaceX missions and founded Shift4 Payments, had advanced out of the Senate Commerce Committee in a 19-9 vote.
• According to reports, Trump decided to pull the nomination after learning of Isaacman’s past donations to prominent Democrats, raising questions about his political loyalty.
• Elon Musk, who had lobbied for Isaacman’s appointment and recently left his White House advisory role, expressed disappointment on social media, calling him “competent and good-hearted.”
• A new nominee is expected soon as the administration pursues a 2026 budget proposal that would cut NASA funding by $6 billion and slash science programs by nearly half.