By BRYAN BENDER and ALEX THOMPSON
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Among Vice President KAMALA HARRIS’ high-profile portfolios, one that’s received virtually no attention is her role in steering the accelerating space race.
Eight months into the administration, and more than four months after the White House announced she would chair the National Space Council, Harris has been silent on her plans for the cabinet-level body. The council hasn’t even held its first public meeting.
Members of Congress and officials at NASA, the Commerce Department, the Pentagon and executives in the space industry are increasingly wondering why she’s taking so long to lay out the administration’s galactic goals.
“People are anxious and eager to hear from her,” said GREG AUTRY, a professor of space leadership, policy and business at Arizona State University who has advised the Federal Aviation Administration on the safety of commercial spacecraft. “We’d like to know if there is a vision or any change in direction.”
One oft-cited factor for the slow pace is that the council is one of the few hallmarks of the Trump administration that President JOE BIDEN decided to keep. Many believe he did so reluctantly, although it was clear he had little choice given that China and Russia are aggressively pursuing new military capabilities in space.
The space council had been dormant for more than two decades before it was revived to much fanfare by President DONALD TRUMP in 2017. He tasked Vice President MIKE PENCE with chairing the council and Pence subsequently committed NASA to the ambitious goal of returning American astronauts to the surface of the moon by 2024 to begin laying the foundation for a long-term presence. Biden also inherited the council's User Advisory Group , a collection of public and private space leaders with a roster that still includes a good number of Trump backers, such as former Rep. JOHN CULBERSON (R-Tex.) and Gov. KAY IVEY (R-Ala.).