In this photo illustration, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen and the United States flag in the background. (Photo Illustration by Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
A onetime executive for a government contractor was tapped to lead the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is in the process of moving past recent months when employees went without paychecks and passengers faced long lines at airports.
Big picture view:
On Monday, President Donald Trump announced David Cummins was nominated to serve as TSA administrator. Cummins had previously worked as a senior vice president at Serco, a government contractor for local and federal agencies.
Dig deeper:
Cummins’ responsibilities at Serco included work in the transportation sector. He claimed to have been co-awarded a "dozen patents in transportation systems" in a LinkedIn profile that has since been taken down, according to an Associated Press report.
The backstory:
If confirmed for the five-year term, Cummins would take over an agency that, during the government shutdown, saw hundreds of people quit and thousands more not show up for work. The partial shutdown, which was the longest in U.S. history, led to missed flights and long lines at TSA checkpoints.
Cummins would replace acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from the White House website and the Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.