Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized the all-female Blue Origin spaceflight, stating that the participants do not qualify as astronauts under FAA criteria. While acknowledging the crew as "brave and glam," Duffy emphasized that astronauts must perform activities during flight that are essential to public safety or contribute to human spaceflight safety. His remarks, shared on X, followed Gayle King's comparison of herself to astronaut Alan Shepard, who famously walked on the moon—a comparison likely to spark controversy.