U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly says he has a “serious case of FOMO”—or fear of missing out.
Kelly highlighted the mission of Artemis II in front of an audience of Rotarians on Wednesday at the Tucson Convention Center.
“Oh, I would have loved to get to do that,” the former astronaut said.
Kelly flew four Space Shuttle missions with NASA, logging more than 54 days in space and orbiting Earth 218 times. He left the agency about 15 years ago, before he crossed paths with Artemis II pilot Victor Glover.
Kelly recalled meeting Glover in the office of the late Sen. John McCain, when Glover was a military fellow.
“I think it was in 2013 or so, so we didn't overlap,” Kelly said. “At the time, he told me that he had applied to be an astronaut.”
Glover is part of NASA’s Artemis II lunar flyby mission, which launched April 1. Glover is the first Black astronaut to travel beyond low Earth orbit.
The Orion capsule, carrying Glover and three other astronauts, is expected to end its 10-day mission with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Friday.
“It provided some hope and optimism at a time I think our country really needs,” Kelly said.
In a wide-ranging conversation with the Rotary Club of Tucson, Kelly contrasted that sense of optimism with what he described as an economy failing the middle class.
His praise for space exploration came with a warning about applying “space-age” solutions to national defense. On Jan. 27, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Armed Forces to develop a missile defense system sometimes referred to as a “Golden Dome,” similar to Israel’s Iron Dome.
On foreign policy, Kelly characterized the current ceasefire in Iran as “tenuous” and criticized the administration for entering the conflict without a clear strategic goal or exit plan.
He also pointed to the human cost of the conflict, referencing reports of a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in the southern city of Minab that resulted in significant civilian casualties. Those reports could not be independently verified.
“And to what end?” he said.
Kelly said many Americans are struggling with rising costs, adding that younger generations are increasingly priced out of housing, childcare and homeownership.
“The only thing that's going up faster than the price of a gallon of gas right now is the number of billionaires in our country,” he said.
Republicans aligned with Trump have offered a different assessment of the economy.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani, who represents southern Arizona, has argued that inflation and affordability challenges stem in part from federal spending and regulatory policies. He has supported extending tax cuts, expanding domestic energy production and reducing regulations as ways to lower costs and stimulate economic growth, while also cautioning against cuts that would significantly impact programs like Medicaid.
For Southern Arizonans, Kelly’s most urgent warnings focused on the stability of rural health care. He alleged the administration has “kicked millions of people off of Medicaid” to help fund tax cuts, leaving hospitals struggling to maintain services such as OB-GYN care.
Policy changes under consideration could lead to hundreds of thousands of Arizonans losing Medicaid coverage in the coming years, though estimates vary depending on how those changes are implemented.
Kelly advocated for a shift in tax policy, arguing that “health is more important than somebody else’s tax cut.”
Days earlier, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Tucson to promote a health initiative, announcing $135 million in funding aimed at expanding nutrition services, preventing chronic illness and addressing rural staffing shortages.
The department also announced 15 new grants for rural residency programs focused on OB-GYN, psychiatry and family medicine.
But when asked about access to care, Kelly warned of a growing crisis.
“I've heard that from rural hospitals or clinics that might have to close because we have an administration that prioritized another big tax cut for the wealthiest Americans,” he said.
When asked whether he is considering a presidential run, Kelly said he has not made a decision. For now, he said his focus remains on supporting allies in upcoming elections and continuing legislative work on issues including health care.
“Once we get on the other side of it… I’ll think about it,” Kelly said.
