SEN RICK SCOTT: The lesson of Artemis? Purge woke politics and let NASA do its job

This week, Americans and people around the world have been awed and inspired by an incredible journey that began in my home state of Florida. After a successful launch at Cape Canaveral, NASA has sent human beings around the moon for the first time in 54 years. Artemis II has now completed its lunar flyby, traveling more than 250,000 miles from Earth and venturing farther into space than any crewed mission in modern history.

As exciting as this mission is, it’s only the beginning of America’s new future on the final frontier. And none of it would be possible without sound leadership.

Under the leadership of President Trump and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, Artemis III is expected to launch next year, entering low Earth orbit to rendezvous with one or both commercial lunar landers before landing Americans on the moon in 2028.

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While this achievement belongs first and foremost to our heroic astronauts, NASA’s brilliant workforce and everyone who has worked so hard on Florida’s Space Coast, it is also the result of a long-needed shift in leadership priorities.

For decades, NASA struggled with inconsistent direction. After Barack Obama canceled the Constellation program, the agency drifted, and Florida’s Space Coast began to fall by the wayside.

Back then, NASA funding reached an all-time low as a percentage of the federal budget. Jobs started to disappear in Florida. That’s why, during my eight years as governor, we worked to invest more than $230 million in spaceport projects to help the Space Coast and create thousands of high-paying aerospace jobs. This included working with the private sector, helping set the stage for Florida as the site of the Blue Origin launch site and the transfer of the Shuttle Landing Facility from NASA to Space Florida.

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Then things got back on track during President Trump’s first term. By reestablishing the National Space Council, launching the moon-to-Mars program and setting a clear objective to return Americans to the moon, he gave NASA back its focus and purpose.

That progress once again stalled under Joe Biden. While Artemis was allowed to continue, the Biden administration overloaded NASA with political mandates that had little to do with space exploration and everything to do with appeasing the radical left.

Climate activism and "DEI" initiatives took over, draining resources and distracting from the mission.

In his first 100 days, Biden installed a diversity adviser tasked with embedding "equity" into every corner of the agency. NASA was also pulled into the White House Climate Task Force and directed to expand its role in climate policy. The administration created a senior climate adviser position, further entrenching political priorities inside what should be a mission-driven space agency.

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Reports show that at least $13 million was spent on DEI programs between 2021 and 2024, funding consultants, internal training and identity-based initiatives despite concerns about mission readiness.

Americans were horrified when NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Sunni" Williams were left stranded in space for months due to ongoing failures with the Boeing Starliner. What should have been a routine mission turned into a national embarrassment. It underscored what happens when excellence takes a back seat to politics.

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At the same time, ideology began creeping into scientific funding. Researchers warned that grant applicants were expected to demonstrate alignment with DEI principles to compete for funding.

This shift was openly embraced at the highest levels. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson repeatedly declared that NASA was in the climate propaganda business instead of the space business, even stating publicly that "NASA is a climate agency" in official communications. Instead of inspiring children to explore the universe, NASA used Americans’ tax dollars to frighten them with hysterical predictions of a climate change nightmare.

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With China aggressively advancing its own space program, the United States cannot afford politicized mission creep.

That direction is now changing under the leadership of President Trump. NASA’s focus has been clear: execute the Artemis program, strengthen commercial partnerships and ensure America wins the second space race.

Congress should follow suit and do everything within our power to make sure NASA’s space exploration mission cannot be hijacked by future Democrat administrations that want to use it for woke political propaganda. That’s why Congress needs to take up and pass my Dismantle DEI Act to codify President Trump’s executive actions terminating DEI programs and initiatives, preventing future administrations from reinstating similar Biden-era DEI policies. This will ensure that NASA — and the rest of our federal government — remain focused on mission and merit.

As Artemis III approaches, the stakes could not be higher. The United States can lead a new Space Age or fall behind because of distractions and misplaced priorities. Artemis II has opened the door to a Golden Age of space exploration. We in Washington must make sure that door stays open for future generations.