Robert H. Steinau, nominated to be NASA’s inspector general, told the Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday he would pursue aggressive oversight and independent reviews of agency programs as NASA works to return to the Moon.
Steinau made the pledge in his opening testimony for his nomination hearing before the committee. A Marine Corps veteran and former Secret Service agent, he joined NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) in 2009 and later served as assistant inspector general for investigations.
Steinau was the senior official performing the duties of inspector general from December 2024 until his nomination in September. Kate Sheehey, previously the OIG’s assistant inspector general for management, has held that role since.
In his written statement, Steinau said NASA’s “extraordinary ambition demands aggressive oversight.” He named Artemis landers, next-generation spacesuits and the lunar supply chain, safe operation of the International Space Station through its retirement, and what he called “dependence on a single launch provider” among the risks the office will watch, along with cybersecurity, aging facilities and workforce retention. Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., raised that last point in his opening remarks, noting NASA lost roughly 22 percent of its workforce in 2025, including 20 percent of its PhD-level staff.
Asked by Sen. Ted Cruz how he would address cost overruns and schedule delays on NASA’s major programs, Steinau said the OIG’s annual top management challenges report this year will center on returning astronauts to the Moon, and that the office builds its audits around NASA’s major programs. He described the OIG as a “truth seeker” that publishes its findings and works with the administrator and Congress on corrective steps.
