Gingrich & Walker: Kamala Harris' abandoned astronauts should already be back on Earth

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On June 5, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams went to the International Space Station for an eight-day visit. They now face an eight-month stay.

This debacle has brought long overdue attention to Boeing’s and NASA’s incompetence.

However, this failure also belongs to Vice President Kamala Harris. She is the Chair of the National Space Council. For her entire vice presidency, Harris has done the bare minimum required by law as chair of the council and has been totally uninvolved in the policy process.

Former Pennsylvania Republican Congressman Bob Walker is a leader on space policy. As Chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, he drafted the original 1989 legislation that created the National Space Council.

TROUBLED BOEING STARLINER WILL RETURN TO EARTH WITHOUT STRANDED ASTRONAUTS: NASA

The council’s purpose is to provide a White House level of leadership on space policy and activities. The importance of space for military, scientific, and commercial purposes has grown dramatically in the 67 years since the Soviet Union launched Sputnik and galvanized America to invest heavily in space.

President Joe Biden clearly articulated the importance of Vice President Harris’s job as chairwoman in a Dec. 1, 2021, executive order.

"The Chair shall serve as The President’s principal advisor on national