{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://simpson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=402079", "The United States Space Academy Should Go to Idaho. Here\u2019s Why.", "2026-09-30", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "House", "ID", "Michael K. Simpson", "S001148", "simpson.house.gov", "simpson", "https://simpson.house.gov/news", "scraper", "This August, we both had the opportunity to join Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Director John Wagner in welcoming NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman to Idaho Falls.\n\nAdministrator Isaacman\u2019s visit was part of his nationwide effort to see firsthand the people and institutions that are shaping America\u2019s future in space. His stop in Idaho highlighted something we already know well \u2014 some of the nation\u2019s most consequential work in space is happening right here at home.\n\nThat is why Idaho should be part of the conversation about where the United States Space Academy takes shape.\n\nAmericans are explorers by nature, among the most adventurous the world has ever known. When President John F. Kennedy stood at Rice University and declared in his famous speech that \u201cwe would go to the moon, not because it was easy, but because it was hard,\u201d he united a country behind space exploration.\n\nGoing to the moon was never just about reaching another world. Instead, it generated economic activity and inventions, but more importantly, it brought us together as an opportunistic nation.\n\nToday, America faces another moment of opportunity.\n\nPresident Donald Trump\u2019s second term has been about American greatness and innovation. His recent executive order establishing the Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy is a fantastic idea to cultivate the next generation\u2019s interest in space.\n\nThe EO recognizes the need to prepare the next generation of astronauts, scientists, engineers, and much more for the space domain.\n\nAs the Commission considers how and where to build this institution, the traditional aerospace centers will understandably be part of the discussion. Texas, Florida, and Alabama, among others, have a substantial reason to be the big dogs in the discussion.\n\nBut Idaho shouldn\u2019t be ruled out.\n\nThanks largely to INL, Idaho has expertise in space nuclear technology. Since the early 2000s, INL has assembled generators that were both fueled and tested at the Lab and are currently powering the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, the Pluto New Horizons, and the Perseverance Rover.\n\nResearch and development at INL is nothing like anything else in the universe, no pun intended. As the nation\u2019s center for nuclear energy research, INL powers exploration of the Solar System and does what people once thought was impossible.\n\nNASA and INL\u2019s longstanding partnership and continued development of nuclear technologies will power our future on Earth and beyond.\n\nIdaho also has the resources to prepare for the next generation of space leadership.\n\nBoise State University, Idaho State University, and the University of Idaho are teaching students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics \u2014 all fields that can contribute to America\u2019s space workforce.\n\nOur educational institutions are building STEM pathways for students. These pathways can lead to long-term, successful careers. Some scientists and astronauts have already found opportunities to work, teach, and live in Idaho.\n\nOur goal is not to convince the Commission, Americans, or even Idahoans that the academy belongs in Idaho. Instead, our state offers several important connections to the future of space exploration, and we shouldn\u2019t rule out those contributions.\n\nWe have the experience and expertise that can power future missions. We also have the resources and environment where research can thrive.\n\nThe next chapter of space exploration will require talent from different parts of our great nation. Idaho is ready to help write it.", 1, "2026-10-01T11:23:28Z", "2026-10-01T11:25:15Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://simpson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=402079"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9107198566198349, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}