In advance of an oversight hearing on TSA by his subcommittee today, Rep. John Katko (R-NY) wrote to President Obama asking for the White House to fill the TSA Administrator’s position “ASAP,” according to a story in the Syracuse newspaper.
Last week DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson told a small group of aviation executives that the White House had settled on a candidate and world be submitting the nomination to the Senate “very soon,”
As have previously written, I hope that name is Acting TSA Administrator Mel Carraway. He is highly qualified, well respected in the TSA workforce and would continue the very popular implementation of risk-based-security that took root under former Administrator John Pistole.
We shall see what comes out of the White House and, more importantly whether “soon” means within a matter of days or a longer period of time. Whatever “soon” means, it won’t be soon enough for Rep. Katko and his colleagues on the House Homeland Security Committee, or the bi-partisan group of Senators who wrote a similar letter a couple of weeks ago.
It’s time to get a nominee and get her or him confirmed. The job is too important to be left hanging in limbo by a White House that desperately needs to repair relations with Congress. Naming the next TSA Administrator would be a good first step.
