Harris, we have a problem

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.).

CHIRAG PARIKH, the new executive secretary of the council, hinted last month that one of the reasons for a slow start was that they first needed to clean house. "One of the things that we're going to be doing here pretty soon is reviewing the charter of the User Advisory Group to make sure it reflects the priorities of the vice president and this administration," Parikh said.

"There will be a formal nomination process coming out shortly," he added.

But one member of the User Advisory Group said he also believes a major reason for Harris taking ample time to roll out her plans is due to her relative lack of experience on the topic.

All of which has raised the question in the space policy world: What are Harris’ actual space priorities? The White House remains mum on her plans. A spokesperson declined to address queries about when she plans to hold the first council meeting or the changes that are in the works about how the body will be structured.

Parikh has offered some clues of where Harris wants to take space policy– and they match other signature administration goals. That includes harnessing space technology “to improve our indications and warning of climate change” and "improving diversity and inclusiveness in our space workforce."

"And then finally, but not least, using space programs as a tool for economic development around the country," added Parikh, an Obama alum and Microsoft executive.

But there’s no shortage of vexing agenda items that the vice president will have to tackle The 2024 moon goal depends heavily on building a Human Landing System, which is mired in a court battle between Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which was selected by NASA in April, and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which has filed suit, stalling the effort. NASA also says it is $10 billion short to complete the program on such a short timeline.

Another pressing issue is developing an international framework for tracking the rise in dangerous space debris, which can bring all the lofty ambitions crashing down. Trump signed a space policy directive in 2018 to establish in the Commerce Department for tracking satellites and other spacecraft to ensure they don’t collide in orbit and cause untold financial and environmental damage. But debates in Congress over whether Commerce is the right agency to oversee the task slowed the effort.

The Biden administration also needs to agree with other spacefaring nations on a set of norms for space activity that encourages cooperation and reduces the chances of a military confrontation. And is also under pressure to decide what it wants to do with the International Space Station after NASA is set to end its role later in the decade.

For Harris, who already has a lot on her plate, this all makes for another galactic sized offering.

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The American Petroleum Institute (API) released a new analysis of the natural gas and oil industry’s impact on the U.S. economy and highlighted its importance to the nation’s post-pandemic recovery. The industry is a driver of every sector of the U.S. economy, supporting 11.3 million total American jobs in 2019 across all 50 states. The industry’s total impact on U.S. GDP was nearly $1.7 trillion, accounting for nearly 8% of the national total in 2019.

With the Partnership for Public Service

Back in Aug. 1943, during World War II, JOHN F. KENNEDY got stranded on an island in the South Pacific, after his torpedo boat was destroyed by the Japanese.

Now this one’s a toughie — what fruit did Kennedy and his crew live off of for two days and eventually use to get rescued?

(Answer at the bottom.)

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ — JULIE RODRIGUEZ, director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, on Twitter shared a link to this CNN story about the coterie of economists who recently sent a letter to Democratic leaders on the Hill urging them to include immigration reform as part of the reconciliation package and touted the potential economic boost of doing so. National Economic Council chief BRIAN DEESE also circulated the same article. Lawmakers are expected to present language to the Senate parliamentarian tomorrow for a review of whether or not it qualifies for reconciliation.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ — Pretty much any of the stories about the rescinding of DAVID CHIPMAN’s nomination to head up the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, as reported by POLITICO’s Marianne Levine with an assist from Anita Kumar.

The White House made the withdrawal official soon after their scoop. It tried to point the finger at Senate Republicans but reluctance from moderate Democrats ultimately sank the nomination. Chipman joins NEERA TANDEN as high-profile casualties of the Senate confirmation process during the Biden administration. For now, B. TODD JONES will continue to hold down a spot in political trivia as the sole Senate-confirmed ATF director in the 15 years it's been subject to senate confirmation.

NEW ON THE TWITTERS — The Office of Presidential Correspondence launched a Twitter feed today: @DearPOTUS46. The office’s deputy director, COURTNEY CORBISIERO, and digital analyst REBECCA BRUBAKER also posted their first Tweets.

THE MORE YOU KNOW: Press office chief of staff AMANDA FINNEY is a former intern in the office of presidential correspondence.

(FLIGHT) MANIFEST DESTINY — Biden is headed to Long Beach, California, on Monday to appear with Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM on the final day before the recall vote. But that’s just one leg of a three-state trip, according to plans announced by the White House.

The president is also scheduled to travel to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho; swing over to Sacramento, California, to survey recent wildfire damage and jet over to Denver, Colorado, to champion his “Build Back Better” agenda. Back-of-the-envelope math pegs that as a roughly 5,100-mile round trip.

HOT VAXX FALL?: As Biden’s approval ratings on his handling of the pandemic have taken a tumble, he announced plans Thursday to require vaccine mandates for the federal workforce as well as mandates that private businesses with more than 100 employees vaccinate their workers or submit them to weekly testing.

In addition, he called for staff vaccinations at all health facilities that receive federal funding. It is part of a sweeping new plan to rein in the coronavirus after a summer in which vaccination rates lagged badly, ADAM CANCRYN and DAVID LIM report.

Here’s a breakdown of firms and employees covered by the order:

The number of firms and employees affected by the latest vaccine mandate. | Graphic by Taylor Miller Thomas

IN WITH THE NEW — The Biden administration Wednesday announced the nomination of WILLIE PHILLIPS to serve as a commissioner on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, CATHERINE MOREHOUSE reports. Phillips has served on the D.C. Public Service Commission since 2014, and has been commission’s chair since 2018. If Phillips is confirmed by the Senate, the FERC, an agency that regulates electricity and natural gas, will lean Democratic, 3-2.

The Justice Dept. sues Texas over its new restrictive abortion law (NYT’s Katie Benner)

U.S. Capitol Police thought trouble on Jan. 6 would be “highly unlikely” (BuzzFeed News’ Jason Leopold)

The president delivered remarks regarding the pandemic and the Delta variant in the State Dining Room.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a roundtable discussion on reproductive rights with health workers and women’s rights activists in the Eisenhower Office Building. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Harris delivered opening remarks at the U.S.-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue in the Indian Treaty Room.

She also met with abortion and reproductive health providers and patients from Texas, Mississippi, Kentucky and New Mexico in the Vice President’s Ceremonial Office.

We’ve previously noted how big of a music nerd Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN is.

Aside from being a fan of popstar OLIVIA RODRIGO, he’s also a big fan of JACK ANTONOFF , a producer who’s responsible for some absolute bops from artists like TAYLOR SWIFT, LORDE and LANA DEL REY.

Blinken sang Antonoff’s praises in a June interview with Rolling Stone this year, saying he had been listening to a lot of music by The Bleachers, a band Antonoff is in, and that he’s been “blown away” by the artists’ talent.

“That guy is amazing,” he said.

One of Blinken’s favorite songs by The Bleachers?

“‘Don’t Take the Money,’” he admitted. Give it a listen.

Coconuts. Kennedy and his team ate coconuts while stranded and wrote their rescue message on a coconut shell that was received by Allied troops.

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Edited by Emily Cadei

A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API):

The American Petroleum Institute’s recently released PwC study shows how the natural gas and oil industry is essential to economic recovery in other sectors, like manufacturing, agriculture, industrial and more, as well as opportunities for job creation. As economic activity, travel patterns and consumption continue to grow during the post-pandemic recovery, the U.S. Energy Information Administration expects global oil and liquid fuels consumption to surpass 2019 levels in 2022. In addition to accounting for nearly 8% of the U.S. GDP in 2019, the natural gas and oil industry generated an additional 3.5 jobs elsewhere in the U.S. economy for each direct job in the U.S. natural gas and oil industry. Learn how the industry is powering each state’s economy by using the interactive map linked here.

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