Billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday as NASA administrator, ending a drawn-out saga in which President Donald Trump initially withdrew his nomination amid a public feud with tech mogul Elon Musk. Isaacman was approved in a bipartisan vote of 67-30.

Isaacman, who has pledged to bring a business-oriented approach to the space agency, will take over after a turbulent confirmation process influenced by Trump’s shifting relationships with prominent tech leaders, including Musk, a close ally of Isaacman. Trump first nominated Isaacman last year but rescinded the nomination in May following clashes with Musk over electric vehicle policies and the performance of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Musk, a major donor to Trump’s 2024 campaign and CEO of SpaceX, had led a months-long DOGE operation that cut federal contracts, affected foreign aid and global health programs, and downsized federal staff, though it did not significantly reduce the federal budget deficit. The dispute eventually involved senior Cabinet officials and Trump himself.

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Isaacman, founder of Shift4 Payments and co-founder of aerospace company Draken International, has collaborated with Musk’s ventures, including Starlink. During his second confirmation hearing in December, he pledged to resign from his private sector positions to avoid conflicts of interest.

Support for Isaacman came from both parties, though some Democrats raised concerns about the costs and priorities of his proposed projects. Sen. Tim Sheehy, a Montana Republican and longtime Isaacman ally, said the entrepreneur “will work tirelessly to ensure America wins the 21st century space race.”

Until Isaacman’s confirmation, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had been serving as NASA’s interim administrator.

Source: AP