Second Lady Usha Vance has drawn much public curiosity after being introduced as the better half of Vice President JD Vance at the inaugural ceremony in January 2025. Like any other political figure, the attention has garnered a series of mixed comments, including some unkind ones. Her “Summer Reading Challenge” initiative recently came under fire when she hosted a children’s reading event at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston on August 4, 2025.
While the effort aimed to inspire K–8 students to read during summer break, social media users were quick to notice what they saw as a contradiction: promoting NASA while the Trump administration is seeking to slash the agency’s budget by nearly 24%, a cut which could halt ongoing missions and erode the U.S.’s scientific leadership.
As per Nicki Swift, netizens and anti-Trump fans called out Usha’s hypocrisy after her own parents are from a scientific background, and she appeared to be so blind and naive about the cut. Reportedly, her father, Krish Chilukuri, is an aerospace engineer and lecturer, and her mother, Lakshmi, is a molecular biologist and university provost.
Usha’s parents were middle-class immigrants who moved from India, and Usha grew up in San Diego. According to The List, she studied at Mount Carmel High School and graduated a year earlier than her peers. She then went to Yale University, where she met JD Vance. It’s fascinating how life works out for people who work hard and believe in themselves. Who knew a girl from San Diego would one day become the Second Lady of America?
On Instagram, Usha posted photos with astronaut Sunita Williams and children at NASA, captioning one: “Reading with Suni Williams, collecting lunar dust, and making postcards to send to space… 3… 2… 1… blast off into your next read!” Despite the Second Lady’s attempt to create a positive mood through her post, people called out her double standards.
One commenter wrote, “Cute how you’re promoting NASA when your hubs and his pals gutted it.” Another added, “Your husband’s administration is gutting NASA. But cool you stopped by for a photo-op.” Some users even reminded her of her previous political affiliation, adding, “Vile sell out. Wrong side of history.”
Meanwhile, popular astronaut Sunita Williams joined Usha Vance to read a space-themed book to the children and participate in hands-on, space-related, telecasted activities. The Second Lady’s Summer Reading Challenge encourages students to explore adventure, imagination, and discovery through reading.
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Usha, a mother to three kids, has always encouraged students to read instead of being on their electronic devices, which has become very common nowadays. Last week, she pushed the kids to do the same, even during her visit to Cherokee Classical Academy in Canton, Georgia.
“It’s wonderful to pick up something that is a bit more challenging and requires deep focus—it helps you later focus on what truly matters,” she explained. She noted that in today’s world, “iPhones and iPads” often distract us from meaningful tasks.
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During her visit, Vance also toured classrooms across Cherokee Classical Academy, observing writing and math lessons and greeting dozens of students. Usha loves reading books; hence, we aren’t surprised by how engrossed she becomes when reading to kids. Interestingly, according to the New York Times, her childhood friends described her as a “bookworm.”
My daughter Amanda graduated from Mt. Carmel in San Diego in 2002. She pulled out her yearbook and this is Usha Chilukuri in 11th grade. She graduated in 2003. Usha is married to JD Vance. In high school, she was in the marching band, national honors society, and the link crew. pic.twitter.com/jS4aZn8iut
— Tommy Sablan (@tommysablan) July 18, 2024
In addition, Vikram Rao, a family friend, added, “By age five or six, she had assumed a leadership role,” he said she was an all-rounder since childhood, and praised her wit and dedication. Owing to her intellectual background and impressive career trajectory, we wonder what made Usha support the massive funding cut that could jeopardise the U.S.’s scientific leadership.
