The nation’s goal of getting back to the moon before China could be threatened if President Trump follows through on his plans to sunset the rocket and spacecraft of NASA’s Artemis program, according to a series of supporters that gave Senate testimony Wednesday.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will reconvene after the August recess this week for two days of hearings on judicial and United States attorney nominations amid tensions spurred by President Donald Trump and his growing frustrations with a tradition that is holding up the confirmation of key nominees.

During often tense exchanges, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his positions on Covid vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and autism.

A former NASA administrator told senators it was “highly unlikely” the agency would return astronauts to the moon before China landed astronauts there.

A Senate Commerce Committee hearing sounded the alarm over the U.S.-China space race, emphasizing American dominance off Earth as the backdrop for NASA’s next funding authorization.

The Senate Banking Committee hearing on Miran's nomination comes as Trump steps up efforts, including an unprecedented attempt to remove a sitting Fed governor, to exert control over the central bank. The Fed's ability to manage inflation effectively is widely seen as requiring freedom from political influence over interest-rate decisions.