Who is Sean Duffy? What to know about Trump's pick for interim head of NASA
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is about to perform double duty after President Donald Trump named him to lead NASA on an interim basis.
News of Duffy's appointment comes during a turbulent period in NASA's history, as the U.S. space agency faces potentially steep budget cuts and has grappled with workforce reductions. What's more, NASA has found itself without a full-time administrator since Bill Nelson stepped down on Jan. 20, the day of Trump's inauguration.
Trump, though, gave Duffy a glowing vote of confidence when announcing his new appointment.
'He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time,' Trump said in a Truth Social post Wednesday, July 9.
NASA funding: Dozens of NASA space missions could be axed under Trump's budget
Here's everything to know about Duffy, the former Wisconsin Republican Congressman and reality TV star who will lead the world's largest space agency.
Trump picks transportation secretary Sean Duffy for NASA acting administrator
Duffy will serve as the interim administrator of NASA as the Trump administration continues to search for a candidate to formally take over the post for the rest of the president's term.
'Sean is doing a TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country's Transportation Affairs, including creating a state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control systems, while at the same time rebuilding our roads and bridges, making them efficient, and beautiful, again," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Congratulations, and thank you, Sean."
In his own post on X shortly after the president's announcement, Duffy said he is 'honored to accept this mission. Time to take over space. Let's launch.
Who is Sean Duffy? What to know about NASA's new head
Duffy, 53, was confirmed Jan. 28 by the Senate as U.S. transportation secretary.
His tenure was immediately marked by tragedy after a fatal aviation crash near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people
At his confirmation hearing on Jan. 15, Duffy said he would prioritize adding more air traffic controllers to improve aviation safety while promising to work with Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates Boeing, to restore international confidence in the plane manufacturer after fatal crashes overseas.
Prior to serving in the Trump Administration, Duffy represented Wisconsin in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019.
But long before his political career, Duffy was a reality television star. He began his television career on MTV's "The Real World: Boston" during its sixth season and even met his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, who hosts 'Fox & Friends Weekend," while filming for an MTV show.
Duffy to replace Janet Petro
Since Trump's inauguration, NASA has been led by Acting Administrator Janet Petro.
A veteran NASA executive, Petro will step down from her role to make way for Duffy, the New York Times reported.
Why did Trump drop Jared Isaacman as NASA nominee?
Billionaire Jared Isaacman, who has been to space twice under missions he bankrolled with SpaceX, had been Trump's first pick to lead NASA.
Isaacman's nomination was well-received by most of the space community and members of Congress.
But at a critical time when the U.S. space agency is preparing to return humans to the moon and send the first astronauts to Mars, Trump suddenly pulled Isaacman's bid in late-May. The decision came after Isaacman had cleared the Senate Commerce Committee in April and appeared on track for a full Senate vote.
Trump discussed Isaacman's nomination July 6 in a long social media post bashing his former ally and advisor Elon Musk, saying he thought it would have been 'inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon … run NASA.'
Trump further said of Isaacman that he "was surprised to learn that he was a blue-blooded Democrat, who had never contributed to a Republican before."
Isaacman pushed back against Trump's claims in a post Monday, July 7 on X, describing himself as an apolitical "right-leaning moderate."
Could more than 2,000 senior employees quit at NASA?
Duffy is set to take over an agency that has undergone workforce reductions and is preparing for a potential massive looming budget cut.
Trump's proposed budget for the next fiscal year would slash NASA funding by nearly 25% – from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion – mostly by eliminating a significant portion of the agency's science portfolio.
And on July 10, news broke that around 2,145 senior-ranking employees at NASA are set to leave under a push to shed staff, Politico reported, citing documents obtained by the news outlet. Most employees leaving are in senior-level government positions, the report said, adding that the agency has offered staff early retirement, buyouts and deferred resignations.
Contributing: Bart Jansen, USA TODAY; Reuters
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
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