By — Jesse Bedayn, Associated Press/ Report for America Jesse Bedayn, Associated Press/ Report for America Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-nominates-david-cummins-to-head-the-tsa-after-a-rocky-period-for-the-agency Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Trump nominates David Cummins to head the TSA after a rocky period for the agency Politics May 11, 2026 5:11 PM EDT President Donald Trump on Monday nominated David Cummins to head the Transportation Security Administration — which has had a rocky few months as employees went without paychecks and security lines grew long at airports across the country. Cummins, who worked as a senior vice president at Serco, a government contractor that works with local and federal agencies, would take over a TSA bruised by the longest partial government shutdown in history which ended late last month. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. During periods of the shutdown, employees at the TSA, currently overseen by acting administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, went without pay, thousands didn't show up to work and hundreds quit entirely. It left travelers frustrated over delays and missed flights and politicians pointed fingers over who was to blame for shutting down the Department of Homeland Security. Cummins has experience in transportation at Serco, and says on a LinkedIn profile, which appears to have been taken down, that he was co-awarded a "dozen patents in transportation systems." His profile also touted that he was the director of operations for the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002. A spokesperson for Serco did not immediately return a request for comment from Cummins. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Jesse Bedayn, Associated Press/ Report for America Jesse Bedayn, Associated Press/ Report for America
President Donald Trump on Monday nominated David Cummins to head the Transportation Security Administration — which has had a rocky few months as employees went without paychecks and security lines grew long at airports across the country. Cummins, who worked as a senior vice president at Serco, a government contractor that works with local and federal agencies, would take over a TSA bruised by the longest partial government shutdown in history which ended late last month. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. During periods of the shutdown, employees at the TSA, currently overseen by acting administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, went without pay, thousands didn't show up to work and hundreds quit entirely. It left travelers frustrated over delays and missed flights and politicians pointed fingers over who was to blame for shutting down the Department of Homeland Security. Cummins has experience in transportation at Serco, and says on a LinkedIn profile, which appears to have been taken down, that he was co-awarded a "dozen patents in transportation systems." His profile also touted that he was the director of operations for the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002. A spokesperson for Serco did not immediately return a request for comment from Cummins. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now