U.S. Senate Needs to Confirm America’s Chief Technology Officer
By Paul Steidler: On March 10, 2025, President Donald Trump nominated Dr. Ethan Klein to be an Associate Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), wherein he will serve as the Chief Technology Officer.
Since November 19, his nomination has been on the U.S. Senate calendar, meaning it could be voted on at any time the full Senate is in session. The Senate should make this a priority and confirm him as soon as possible, given the critical importance of AI and technology to America’s future as well as Dr. Klein’s excellent qualifications.
Senator Ted Cruz, Chairman of the Commerce Committee, strongly championed Dr. Klein during a September 17 hearing where Klein, a MIT-educated nuclear scientist, appeared before the committee.
Senator Cruz said Klein, “…served in the OSTP during the first Trump administration as a policy advisor to now-Director Michael Kratsios. He helped draft executive orders on artificial intelligence, drones, and biotechnology. And now, beyond advancing frontier research and development, he will drive the transfer of technology from lab to market – not through the heavy hand of the state, as China is doing, but in the American way, through free enterprise.”
On September 15, Zachary Graves, Executive Director of the Foundation for American Innovation, and 18 additional tech leaders wrote to the U.S. Senate endorsing Dr. Klein.
“At a time when American leadership in science and technology is being challenged by both geopolitical competitors and outdated regulatory schemes, Dr. Klein brings the rare combination of technical depth, public sector experience, and entrepreneurial fluency we need to keep the U.S. at the forefront of global innovation,” the tech leaders said.
While the U.S. Senate has moved quickly on many of President Trump’s nominees, it is unfortunate that for nearly nine months Dr. Klein has not been able to serve as Chief Technology Officer. The sooner the U.S. Senate rectifies this, the better.