Rumors are circulating that President Trump might shutter the National Space Council as his administration moves to slash federal spending, a move that could have wide-ranging effects on U.S. policy toward the stars.
The council helps craft space policy directives and has been significantly involved in U.S. space activities in national security and commercial space. The council is chaired by the vice president.
Mr. Trump revived the council in 2017 after it was disbanded by President Clinton in 1992. Under the direction of former Vice President Mike Pence, the council met eight times during Mr. Trump’s first term and helped develop space policy directives and the international Artemis Accords, which provide a set of principles for the governance of the civil exploration and use of outer space.
The Biden administration did comparatively little with the council, as it met only three times under the direction of Vice President Kamala Harris.
While Mr. Trump has signaled an interest in space by mentioning it in his second inaugural address, he hasn’t confirmed if the council will be back this time. Some experts say the new administration may believe that the space council is an unnecessary bureaucratic layer standing in the way of U.S. space dominance and may decide to do without it.
“A space council is more of a policy deliberative body to think through issues. But we already have several space policy directives and a strategy document,” said Christopher Stone, a space expert at the National Institute for Deterrence Studies. “Let’s not reinvent the wheel for the 18,000th time like a lot of new administrations do.”
Indeed, the first Trump administration developed seven space policy directives, including the development of the U.S. Space Force. To Mr. Stone, the Trump White House could save a lot of time by following the space council’s directives.
“Rather than wait another six months to a year to find out the same problems that are still there, why not reference the stuff you already put together with the previous council and the National Security Council working together and just execute that, save a bunch of time and effort?” Mr. Stone said. “This will prevent another bureaucratic layer or two that could be used to stall things out in discussion.”
However, axing the space council could lead to issues between regulatory agencies invested in aerospace technology. The council could be an important go-between for the White House and those agencies, helping smooth out questions of authority.
“What the National Space Council can do is coordinate with all the agencies and help them determine whether or not they’ve got the statutory authority from Congress,” said James Dunstan, a senior council at TechFreedom. “And in cases where they don’t, say: No, you really shouldn’t be adopting these rules because we don’t think you’ve got the statutory authority.”
The council’s help with statutory clarification could speed up lawsuits that may arise from the White House’s executive actions on regulation.
“It’s just the amount of time and amount of effort that you’re gonna have to put into defending those. Is there a way to help that?” Mr. Dunstan said. “The question is, especially when it comes to power space regulations, can we wait the two years it’s gonna take to get through the court system? And how can the executive branch position itself to help get these cases through quicker? National Space Council, I think, could play an important role.”
Complicating matters is the presence of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has been the face of Mr. Trump’s cost-cutting efforts. Mr. Musk has long been critical of regulatory oversight from federal agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration and could see cutting the space council as a prerogative for the Department of Government Efficiency.
Mr. Musk’s position in the White House has raised concerns from some that he may have too much influence over U.S. space policy. Reaffirming the space council could help assuage fears.
“With Elon Musk, space has become yet the latest culture war that we’re fighting in this country. Which is the first time that’s ever really happened. And it it saddens me,” Mr. Dunstan said. “But that’s kind of where things are going right now. So to have a space council out there so that people have someplace to look and say, ‘Trump isn’t just handing space to Musk,’ I think would be a net benefit to the White House in the long term.”
Over the last month, the Trump administration has signaled a clear interest in aerospace. On top of mentioning future trips to Mars in his inaugural address, the president has signed an executive order to build an “Iron Dome for America” and ordered Mr. Musk to speed up the return of two U.S. astronauts stranded on the International Space Station.
Industry insiders say the space council could be essential in clarifying U.S. space policy and in maintaining space dominance.
“We strongly believe that interagency collaboration and high-level strategic guidance are essential for advancing U.S. interests in space. The National Space Council’s structure or function should preserve its ability to address the rapidly evolving challenges and opportunities in the space domain,” the Space Force Association said. “If continued, it will be critical for the National Space Council to establish clear definitions of responsibilities with left and right boundaries to capture interests from the commercial and civil sectors and the United States Space Force.”
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.