Whether or not the US had really fallen behind in space is debatable (what metric does one use for leadership?), not to mention when, and to whom, and how.

“We’re not going to solve everything at once, but we’re going to try to make measurable progress on the regulatory environment,” said Pace prior to the meeting. “I come to assure you, the men and women of NASA, and all those at this gateway to the stars, where the aspirations of the American people have taken flight, that under President Donald Trump America will lead in space once again,” he said. When Vice President Mike Pence visited the Kennedy Space Center last July, part of a tour of NASA and other space facilities since taking office, he repeated a theme that he had stated elsewhere last year.