Will Leave The Agency On Inauguration Day

TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger will step down from his post in January 20th, according to an agency spokesman.

The move has been reported by The Hill and Politico. Neffenger, who has led the agency since 2015, has not been interviewed by the transition team of President-elect Donald Trump, according to Politico.

Several Congressional leaders from both parties had expressed hope that the retired Coast Guard admiral would stay on into the Trump administration. "He's really been making some good changes, and they're long-term," said Congresswoman Kathleen Rice (D-NY).

Among those changes are "back to basics" training for TSA officers, more manual screening at airports, and new procedures for selecting passengers for PreCheck expedited screening. While the agency has continued to struggle in the 18 months since his appointment, lawmakers continued to support Neffenger. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) said he has "done a really good job" under the circumstances, and that he would support Neffenger staying in the role past the inauguration.

No replacement for Neffenger has been announced.

In a statement, NATA president Martin H. Hiller offered praise for Neffenger. “All Americans owe Administrator Peter Neffenger a debt of gratitude for a career dedicated to protecting our nation’s security. His leadership of the Transportation Security Administration was marked by his affinity for collaboration across agencies and willingness to work with industry to identify and address areas of mutual concern. We were honored by his willingness to appear in person several times at NATA leadership events to report on developments at the agency and hear our suggestions firsthand. Administrator Neffenger’s gregarious nature and commitment to common sense solutions were just a few of the admirable traits that made it a pleasure to work with him. NATA looks forward to continuing our work with TSA in promoting risk-based security programs that greatly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of airport checkpoint security screening for both crewmembers and the traveling public,” he said.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.tsa.gov