Astronauts For America To Advocate For Constitutional 'Rule Of Law'
More than 100 former NASA astronauts are launching a nonpartisan nonprofit that will advocate for constitutional limits and bringing back civic responsibility.
Astronauts For America, which includes a mix of Republicans, Democrats and independents, plans to score political candidates and meet with federal policymakers to share concerns about the state of U.S. democracy. The group is independent of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and membership is limited to retired astronauts.
In an open letter to the American people, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, the group said, “For decades we’ve seen a steady erosion of our founding values and principles that weakens our democratic systems. The result has been political polarization and subversion of key constitutional and institutional norms, including bipartisan cooperation, executive constraint, and judicial independence.” The group promises “to take officials to task when they ignore the rule of law or distort and disregard the facts.”
Garrett Reisman, 58 years old, a registered Democrat and one of the group’s co-founders, said he decided to start the organization last year after the conduct he saw while witnessing an immigration raid at a local carwash.