The head of the Transportation Security Administration told staff in a memo Monday that he was fired by President Donald Trump.
TSA Administrator David Pekoske — who oversaw a staff of 60,000 employees providing security to U.S. airports across the country — wrote that he was “advised by President-elect Trump’s transition team that my time as your administrator will end at noon ET,” according to CNN and Reuters.
The memo didn’t give any reason as to why Trump ousted Pekoske, a former vice commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. The TSA Administrator was first appointed by Trump during his first term in 2017, and former President Joe Biden appointed Pekoske to a second term in 2022.
TSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Other Biden appointees have also stepped down as Trump takes office. FAA chief Mike Whitaker told staff in December that he would step down from the post on Inauguration Day.
During his tenure, the TSA saw some of its busiest travel days as demand for premium and international travel picked up in recent years. At the Skift Global Forum in September, Pekoske said the agency was planning to roll out a program, called “One-Stop Security,” that would remove additional security screenings for travelers flying from certain destinations back to the U.S.
The agency had also started expanding its use of facial recognition technology at airports across the country, drawing some scrutiny from Congress.
Pekoske said last year he hoped to stay on the job, according to The Wall Street Journal.
