WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation, and former Chairman of the Subcommittee on Space, today issued the following statement after President Joe Biden named former Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) to serve as NASA administrator:

"I was proud to work closely with Bill in the Senate on bipartisan legislation to modernize our space program, champion our commercial space sector, and take meaningful steps toward achieving our long-term human exploration goals, including returning Americans to the surface of the Moon and landing the first American astronauts on Mars.

"Together, Bill and I worked to pass multiple crucial pieces of legislation to ensure stability for NASA to allow the agency to sustain and build upon existing national space investments and took successful steps to honor the women and hidden figures who for too long worked in obscurity at NASA.

"Bill's wealth of experience and dedication to advancing America's leadership in space will be critical in this new era of space exploration. I look forward to working with Bill to bolster American leadership in the final frontier."

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