Trump to nominate David Cummins as TSA administrator

Washington — President Trump intends to nominate David Cummins to lead the Transportation Security Administration, according to a person familiar with the decision.

Cummins currently serves as senior vice president of citizen services at Serco, a government services contractor. He has held multiple leadership roles in transportation and operations, including as a director for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

Ha Nguyen McNeill, the TSA’s acting administrator, will assist with the leadership transition, the source said.

The nomination, which has not yet been formally announced, would place Cummins atop the agency responsible for security screening at U.S. airports and other transportation hubs.

Cummins would take over the TSA at a time when it is grappling with funding instability, staffing shortfalls and mounting operational pressure as U.S. travel volumes surge. He will face a Senate confirmation process amid the longest partial government shutdown in history.

In recent congressional testimony, McNeill warned that prolonged funding lapses have strained the agency’s workforce and operations, with rising absenteeism, attrition and long checkpoint wait times at some airports. She said the agency is struggling to hire and retain officers during budget uncertainty, even as it prepares for major global events including the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

More than 780 TSA officers have resigned during the ongoing DHS shutdown. DHS officials fear that number could climb — the previous shutdown in 2025 drove nearly 1,100 officers to leave the agency. For a workforce of just under 50,000, the staffing shortages have long-term implications for recruitment and retention.

The last Senate-confirmed TSA administrator was David Pekoske, who was confirmed to a second five-year term in 2022. McNeill, who has served as acting administrator, previously held senior roles at TSA and across the national security community and has emphasized the need for stable funding and operational continuity.