WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Bill Nelson (D-FL), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, along with subcommittee leaders Sens. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) have urged President Barack Obama to, “prioritize the formal nomination of a qualified, experienced, and dedicated individual to serve as Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).” Their letter comes more than three months after former TSA Administrator John Pistole announced his departure on Oct. 16, 2014. Pistole served his last day at the agency on Dec. 31, 2014. 

The Senate Commerce Committee shares jurisdiction with the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs over nominations for TSA Administrator, which requires Senate confirmation.  In 2014, the TSA screened more than 650 million passengers, nearly 1.8 million every day.  This total represents almost 15 million more passengers than in 2013. 

Click here for the full signed letter from the five Senate Commerce Committee leaders to President Obama.

The full text of the letter:

Dear Mr. President:

We write to urge you to prioritize the formal nomination of a qualified, experienced, and dedicated individual to serve as Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

As you know, TSA's mission is to secure and protect our nation's transportation systems from terrorist attacks, but perhaps its most visible and costly responsibility is that of protecting the traveling public at airports across the country. Our nation faces evolving terror threats that have recently resulted in enhanced TSA security screening and procedures at U.S. airports. In addition, Secretary Johnson has directed TSA to conduct an immediate, short term review to determine if additional action is necessary. Given
this intensified terror threat and the vacancy set into motion when former Administrator Pistole announced his plans to retire over three months ago, it is critical that TSA have strong leadership now to set priorities, make tough decisions, and manage its large workforce.  

TSA's mission to safeguard our nation's transportation systems is no small task.  In fact, it is a mission that relies heavily on coordination with leaders of other agencies, including the intelligence community, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, and multiple Department of Homeland Security components.  For these reasons, a nominee with strong leadership skills is critical to TSA's ability to fulfill its mission.
    
We must continually strive to ensure the security of the traveling public while not impeding the ability of people and goods to move freely.  Paramount to these twin goals is organization and accountability throughout TSA.  For all these reasons, we urge you to nominate a strong and qualified candidate to be Administrator, and we commit to working to ensure your nominee receives full and fair consideration by our Committee and the full Senate.  

Sincerely,

John Thune
Chairman



Bill Nelson
Ranking Member



Kelly Ayotte
Chair, Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security 



Maria Cantwell
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security 



Deb Fischer
Chairman, Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security

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