NASA chief Jim Bridenstine will reportedly step down under Biden administration
The former Republican congressman reportedly thinks NASA should have a new chief.
NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine.
NASA chief Jim Bridenstine will step down once President-elect Joe Biden takes office, according to a report. Bridenstine thinks NASA will have a better chance of political success with a new chief, Aviation Week reported Sunday. The new leader would have "a close relationship with the [next] president of the United States," Bridenstine reportedly said.
"The right question here is, 'What's in the best interest of NASA as an agency, and what's in the best interest of America's exploration program?'" Bridenstine told Aviation Week. "You need somebody who is trusted by the administration ... I think that I would not be the right person for that in a new administration."
Bridenstine, a former Republican congressman from Oklahoma, became NASA administrator in April 2018. While in Congress, he served on the Committee of Science, Space and Technology.
NASA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, but CNN also confirmed the news citing an unnamed source.
