On Monday, the Senate easily confirmed Coast Guard Vice. Adm. Peter Neffenger as the new administrator of the embattled Transportation Security Administration, by a vote of 81-1. Obama nominated Neffenger in April, before a damning report showing that TSA airport screeners had allowed 67 out of 70 prohibited items past security during undercover tests. The TSA has been without a permanent leader since John Pistole stepped down in December, after 4.5 years on the job.
"Vice Adm. Neffenger will certainly have a tough job ahead of him," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said before the vote. "We're all aware of the recent inspector general report that questioned the TSA's ability to meet its security mission without change." Neffenger, who has been with the Coast Guard since 1981, will now oversee an agency with 60,000 employees covering 450 airports.
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