After clearing a procedural hurdle earlier this week, Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) was confirmed as NASA Administrator earlier this afternoon on a party line vote of 50 to 49.
News and updates
NASA Administrator Nomination Advances in Senate
The nomination of Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) for NASA Administrator moved forward earlier today after a Senator switched his vote. Initially, the vote to move the nomination forward stood tied at 49 to 49. After a number of conversations, Jeff Flake (R-AZ) changed his vote to a ‘yes’ to move forward on the nomination. The vote cut off debate on the nomination and sets up a final vote.
Changes Seen on Senate Appropriations Committee
As expected, with the resignation of Thad Cochran (R-MS), Richard Shelby (R-AL) has officially taken over the chairmanship of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Along with the top spot on the full committee, Sen. Shelby has also assumed the gavel of the Defense Subcommittee, which was also led by Cochran before his resignation.
The vacancy in the top spot on the Commerce-Justice-Science Subcommittee created by Shelby’s move to Defense has been filled by Jerry Moran (R-KS).
Cindy Hyde-Smith, who was appointed to fill the remainder of Cochran’s term by the governor of Mississippi, has taken his seat on the full committee.
What We’re Reading, April 9-13
Here’s a selection of articles we read this week.
Doctor Shortage – The U.S. could see a shortage of up to 120,000 physicians by 2030, according to a report published Wednesday by the Association of American Medical Colleges. The association urged medical schools to train more physicians and use different strategies in doing so. It also encouraged the federal government to intervene with funding and legislation. Read more from Inside Higher Ed.
Trillion Dollar Debt – America’s deficit is rising sharply and will surpass $1 trillion per year by 2020, a gap that has grown since Congress cut taxes and increased spending, the Congressional Budget Office reported Monday. The federal deficit — the gap between how much the government takes in and how much it spends — will hit $804 billion in fiscal 2018, up 21 percent from 2017, the CBO said. Read more from the Washington Post.
Confucius Closing – The chancellor of the Texas A&M system said the university would terminate its agreement to host Confucius Institutes — centers for Chinese language teaching and cultural programming funded by the Chinese government — in response to the urging of two congressmen who described the institutes as threats to national security. Read more from Inside Higher Ed.
Ryan Out, Mic Drop – The race to succeed Paul Ryan as the leader of the House Republican conference is on, and the two most likely candidates are already loading up their campaign finance arsenals for what could turn into a slugfest for the job. A key to following Ryan is matching his fundraising prowess, and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has a hefty advantage over his potential rival, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., after the first quarter of this year. Read more from CNBC.
FY 2018 Funding by Program
Wondering how your federally funded program fared in the FY 2018 omnibus? Check out our programmatic spreadsheet here. Please let us know if there is a federally funded program that you would like added to this document.