Trump names Transportation Secretary Duffy as interim Nasa administrator
More than 2,100 senior-ranking NASA employees are set to leave their jobs.
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump tapped US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to serve as the interim administrator of Nasa on July 8, a role that has remained vacant since Mr Trump withdrew his initial nominee.
Mr Duffy will temporarily take over the post that has been in the spotlight due to
Mr
Trump's feud with billionaire Elon Musk , who wanted his close ally Jared Isaacman to lead the space agency.
'Sean is doing a tremendous job in handling our country's transportation affairs ... He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important space agency, even if only for a short period of time,' Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Mr Trump named Mr Isaacman, a billionaire private astronaut, to be the NASA administrator in December 2025, before
abruptly withdrawing his nomination in May , in a decision that angered SpaceX owner Mr Musk.
While at the time the White House did not provide an explanation for pulling Mr Isaacman's nomination, the US President has since said it was 'inappropriate' to have named Mr Isaacman as Nasa administrator, considering Mr Musk's business with the space agency.
After Mr Trump's announcement on July 8, Mr Isaacman called it 'a great move' and wished Mr Duffy well.
'Nasa needs political leadership from someone the President trusts and has confidence in,' Mr Isaacman said on X.
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Mr Trump's announcement came as Politico reported that more than 2,100 senior-ranking Nasa employees are set to leave their jobs under a push by the administration to shed staff through early retirement, buyouts and deferred resignations.
Under Mr Trump's administration, the US space industry and Nasa's workforce of 18,000 have been whipsawed by looming layoffs and proposed budget cuts that would cancel dozens of science programs. REUTERS
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