Oklahoma Representative James Bridenstine, a Navy Reserve pilot, was confirmed as NASA's 13th administrator on Thursday.
In a 50-49 vote Thursday, Oklahoma Representative James Bridenstine, a Navy Reserve pilot, was confirmed as NASA's 13th administrator, an agency that usually is kept away from partisanship. His three predecessors — two nominated by Republicans — were all approved unanimously. Before that, one NASA chief served under three presidents, two Republicans and a Democrat.
The two days of voting were as tense as a launch countdown.
A procedural vote Wednesday initially ended in a 49-49 tie — Vice President Mike Pence, who normally breaks a tie, was at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida — before Arizona Republican Jeff Flake switched from opposition to support, using his vote as leverage to address an unrelated issue.
Thursday's vote included the drama of another delayed but approving vote by Flake, a last-minute no vote by Illinois Democrat Tammy Duckworth — who wheeled onto the floor with her 10-day-old baby in tow — and the possibility of a tie-breaker by Pence, who was back in town.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by captain normal on Saturday April 21 2018, @12:30AM
"Let's just kill and gut every elite and politician out there"...How, if you don't kill off all their bosses, is that going to do any good Just yesterday, Randall Stephenson CEO of ATT pressured the Justice Department to allow it to swallow up Time Warner. ATT was broken up years ago for monopolistic and unfair business practices yet here is the giant zombie rising from the grave out to destroy all the good from years of somewhat real competition. Wonder just how much ATT has put out to politicians? Not only money, but also golf junkets, fishing trips etc?
"It is easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they have been fooled" Mark Twain