FAA administrator to resign on Trump swearing-in

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Mike Whitaker is leaving at the start of President-elect Trump’s term, a source familiar with his plans told The Hill.

Whitaker will resign on Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, the source said Thursday.

News of the resignation came a day after FBI Director Christopher Wray announced he would resign ahead of the new administration, becoming the highest-profile departure yet as Trump pushes to install a new pick to lead the bureau.

Whitaker has only served as FAA administrator for just over a year after he was confirmed by the Senate in October 2023. FAA administrators are sworn in for five-year terms. 

His resignation was first reported by Politico, which said he told his staff about the plans during a meeting on Thursday morning.

Before Whitaker was confirmed, the FAA went over a year and a half without leadership, which put Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in the spotlight to answer to any aviation issues.

Prior to Whitaker, the last permanent administrator was Trump-appointee Steve Dickson, who resigned from the FAA in March 2022.

Whitaker was recently pressed by Republicans in a House Transportation Committee hearing about whether the FAA is placing “undue scrutiny” on Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Whitaker said SpaceX “launched without a permit,” in reference to two launches last year in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The company pushed back, claiming “every statement” the FAA chief made in the September hearing about the aerospace company’s alleged safety violations was “incorrect.”

Whitaker was also in the hot seat after a door blew out of a Boeing plane in January, causing weeks of scrutiny into the company’s manufacturing safety. He told a Senate panel hearing in June that his agency “should have had much better visibility” into Boeing’s manufacturing process.