From President John F. Kennedy’s iconic call to “go to the Moon, not because it is easy” to President Barack Obama’s forward-looking directive to use commercial rides to orbit for cargo and crew, Democrats have historically been strong supporters of the space program.
Unfortunately, in the years since Obama left office, Democrats have dropped the ball on the matter. Republicans have used it to rile up their base with calls to showcase American superiority, and beat China on the off-world stage.
It’s not that Democratic members are silent on space. We still see lawmakers on the left celebrating major milestones in the space program, and vocally supporting the traditionally Democratic positions of promoting science funding and workforce development.
These are important things to support. But they’re a small subset of space-related topics that require attention as the space industry rapidly transforms.
