Congressman Bridenstine Confirmed NASA Administrator

Former Congressman Jim Bridenstine was confirmed as the new NASA administrator Thursday.

The vote on the Senate floor was 50-49 in favor of Representative. Bridenstine.

With the nomination confirmed it makes Bridenstine the first member of Congress to lead NASA.

Bridenstine previously announced he would not run for re-election in 2018 after making a three-term pledge in 2012.

President Donald Trump nominated Bridenstine on September 1 of 2017, but criticism from both Republicans and Democrats slowed down the confirmation process.

"It is an honor to be confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as NASA Administrator. I am humbled by this opportunity, and I once again thank President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for their confidence. I look forward to working with the outstanding team at NASA to achieve the President’s vision for American leadership in space,” Bridenstine said in a news release.

On Wednesday the Senate Republicans won a cloture vote on the matter to allow for a final vote.

Bridenstine has previously served on the Committee on Science, Space and Technology during his time in Congress and has claimed that future space policy will affect the way we conduct our daily lives.

“Our very way of life depends on space, the way we communicate, the way we navigate, the way we produce food and energy, the way we conduct banking,” Bridenstine said at the annual Space Symposium in 2016.