By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The head of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration was forced out of office on Monday and will be replaced by President Donald Trump’s new administration.
TSA Administrator David Pekoske, who oversaw a workforce of 60,000 employees providing security at U.S. airports and other transportation hubs, left office on Monday. He said in a memo confirmed by Reuters and first reported by CNN that he was advised by Trump’s transition team “that my time as your administrator will end at noon ET today.”
Pekoske, a former vice commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security official, was first appointed to a five-year term by Trump in 2017 and reconfirmed for a second term in 2022 under then-President Joe Biden.
Some Republicans have raised concerns about reports that the TSA briefly placed former lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard on a flight watch list known as “Quiet Skies.” Gabbard has been nominated by Trump to serve as director of National Intelligence.
Other Biden appointees with five-year terms opted to resign after Trump’s election win, including the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, Mike Whitaker, who said in December he would leave effective Monday after about 15 months on the job.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and David Gregorio)
