WASHINGTON — In his first appearance before Congress as NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine last week was pointedly asked whether his views on climate change had evolved and whether he now believed humans were the primary cause of global warming.
Yes on both counts, the Trump-appointed chief of the nation's space program conceded during a sparsely attended hearing on the NASA budget before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
"It is extremely likely that human activity is the dominant cause of global warming and I have no reason to doubt the science that comes from that," he told senators, affirming the long-held consensus of government scientists.
It was a remarkable moment not only for Bridenstine, a former Oklahoma Republican congressman who had proclaimed his deep skepticism of climate change on the House floor a few years ago, but also for Senate Democrats who fiercely opposed President Trump's choice to lead the science-based agency in the acrimonious run-up to his narrow confirmation last month.
Sen. Brian Schatz, the Hawaii Democrat who questioned Bridenstine at the hearing, applauded the man he had once opposed for the job because, he said at the time, "NASA deserves better." Now the senator was singing his praises.
"I have come to the conclusion that this is a true evolution ... that you respect the science," Schatz told him, noting the importance NASA plays in measuring the Earth's warming temperatures and carbon levels. "And there is no way to move forward if you are going to be undermining the science so I'm really pleased to see this change."
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., another senator who had opposed him, lauded Bridenstine as well.
"I want to thank you for the tone you've taken since you were sworn in," he told the administrator.
Some Trump appointees whose nominations faced broad Democratic opposition, notably EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, still encounter stiff partisan resistance on Capitol Hill.
In a statement Wednesday to USA TODAY by the agency, Bridenstine made clear his desire to build the congressional relationships he'll need to propel the Trump administration's ambitious space agenda including returning astronauts to the moon.
"NASA is one of America's most storied agencies and has long had bipartisan support," he said. "Just as all previous administrators, I intend to build and maintain great relationships on both sides of the aisle so NASA can continue it's history-making science, exploration, and discovery missions. Phone calls and meetings on the Hill and at NASA headquarters facilitate these relationships."
Democratic opposition to Bridenstine, first nominated in September, was swift from the beginning.
At a November confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Democrats said the Tulsa Republican's past skepticism of climate change, his condemnation of LGBTQ protections, and his criticism of fellow lawmakers made him unfit to lead the space agency.
Sen. Marco Rubio also joined in the criticism of Bridenstine who had accused the Florida Republican of being soft on terror in campaign ads he appeared in for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, when both Rubio and Cruz were running for president in 2016.
Last month, Rubio cast the deciding vote to approve Bridenstine, saying the White House's insistence on the controversial nominee left him with no choice but to go along because he didn't want to leave NASA without a permanent director for another year.
But Bridenstine appears to be moving deftly to defuse that opposition. And senators are, in turn, reciprocating.
Eric Stallmer, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation and a Bridenstine ally, said the NASA administrator is conducting a "strong listening tour" to build bridges with the lawmakers who voted for him and those who did not.
"He's doing what he said he was going to do and reach out to members of Congress and work with them, irregardless of party," said Stallmer, who helped guide Bridenstine as he visited with lawmakers prior to his confirmation. "I think the members of Congress, especially the Senate, are moving on as well. They're realizing he's a good, decent person who has the best interest of the country in mind."
And, Stallmer noted, "now that he's the administrator, people are willing to meet with him."
No meeting has yet taken place between Bridenstine and Sen. Bill Nelson, the Florida Democrat who led the party-line opposition to his nomination.
But Nelson has said on several occasions he would work with Bridenstine if he wins confirmation.
"It was never personal," Nelson spokesman Bryan Gulley said Tuesday. "They had a disagreement. And we move on and we move forward."