This morning I would like to talk for a minute about my experiences working in space policy and the history of bipartisanship generally in the development of national space policy. A thread. 1/x

I was involved in 2 major legislative actions when I worked for the GOP Majority on the House Science Committee. The Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act, signed by President Obama, and the NASA Authorization Act of 2015, passed by unanimous consent in the House. 2/x

In both cases, the bills were not perfect, few are, but they reflected wide bipartisan support for moving the country’s civil and commercial space enterprise forward in a way that would benefit everyone. 3/x

Although the NASA Transition Authorization in 2017 was passed by a Republican Majority in the House and Senate, the bill received unanimous consent in both the House and the Senate 4/x

Prior to the passage of the NASA bill in 2015 by the House, and the NASA Transition Authorization Act in 2017 by the full Congress, the last NASA bill was in 2010, which passed the Senate by Unanimous Consent and got 304 votes in the House. 5/x

There are few areas of policy that have such a record in modern times for this kind of strong bipartisanship. I would submit that, for the future of our space enterprise to be successful, we will continue to need this type of bipartisanship. 6/x

Space policy has many strong proponents and few actual opponents, making it ideal for bipartisan agreement and strong support throughout industry. This type of confluence of support is rare and noteworthy. 7/x

I will be the first to admit that this work is not easy. It is arduous and requires nerves of steel, thick skin, and the ability to see opportunity where this is sometimes outright conflict. 8/x

There are always going to be people on both sides of the aisle that want all the praise and want to be recognized for accomplishments, but for every one on each side, there are dedicated people that just want the space enterprise to succeed. 9/x

Throughout my career in space policy, I haven’t always agreed with my democratic counterparts, but I have always wanted to find ways to get to “yes.” I believe this is true for my friends, and they are my friends, on the democratic side as well. 10/x

It is easy in this age of hyperpartisanship to allow ourselves to be drawn into Republican or Democratic camps on space policy. But I believe that our community can and will rise above it. 11/x

In the current administration’s Artemis plans, for example, there is wide support for the goal of putting the first woman and next man on the Moon and then moving out to Mars. There may not be agreement on the timing, but there is certainly support for the idea itself. 12/x

This is important because we aren’t arguing about whether to do it, we are arguing about how to do it, which is where the best bipartisan solutions can emerge. It isn’t a fundamental disagreement about the mission, just the details. 13/x

The constant push by the National Space Council and the Vice President to make Space a national priority opens opportunities for negotiation, debate, and discussion, always the first step to the development of solid policy 14/x

There may come a time when we don’t have this type of energy at the top levels of our government; much like we didn’t have it for the decades prior to the recreation of the National Space Council in 2017. We must not waste this time. 15/x

Space policy and the space enterprise cannot heal the wounds and the rancor that our country is currently experiencing, but it can be an opportunity for real progress and an anchor to hold onto for solving other large problems. 16/x

What I have seen in my experience is that if we believe we can find solutions in one area where we are divided, we can use that to help find solutions in other areas. If we can work together “here” then maybe we can work together “there.” 17/x

I never felt like I had all the answers, but I almost always felt that by engaging with my counterparts and posing questions and talking it out would almost always lead to a solution that everyone could get on board with. 18/x

We should never be looking for the R or D answer, we should be looking for the correct answer. We should never foreclose opportunities to make ourselves and our little part of the big picture better. I believe we can and will do that. End thread.