Washington, D.C. – House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Brian Babin released the following statement after President Trump signed an Executive Order to streamline commercial launch, reentry, and spaceport development:
"President Trump’s new Executive Order is a bold step to cut red tape, speed approvals, and strengthen America’s leadership in commercial space,” Chairman Babin said. “For too long, outdated regulations and duplicative reviews have slowed progress, hindered investment, and given our adversaries like China an opening to close the gap. This action puts America’s commercial space industry on a trajectory to continue leading the world—driving breakthroughs, creating jobs, and bolstering our national security."
This has been a top priority of Chairman Babin as head of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. Last fall, in his previous role as Chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, he held a hearing on the challenges facing domestic commercial launch providers and ways to reduce the regulatory burden on our commercial space sector. Earlier this year, Chairman Babin and Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren sent a bipartisan letter to the Government Accountability Office calling for a review of the FAA’s Part 450 launch licensing process to ensure it keeps pace with industry growth.
President Trump’s Executive Order delivers on the very reforms the Committee has been pursuing—expanding opportunity, reducing regulatory burdens, and ensuring the United States sets the pace in commercial space exploration for decades to come.