President Donald Trump has taken decisive action to reshape the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), dismissing the heads of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the U.S. Coast Guard before their terms were set to expire.
Additionally, Trump eliminated all members of a key aviation security advisory group.
Members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee received a memo on Tuesday stating that DHS is eliminating the membership of all advisory committees. The memo cited a “commitment to eliminating the misuse of resources and ensuring that DHS activities prioritize our national security.”
An internal memo dated January 20 from DHS Acting Secretary Benjamin Huffman, first obtained by NPR, underscored the administration’s resolve to overhaul the agency, stating:
“In alignment with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) commitment to eliminating the misuse of resources and ensuring that DHS activities prioritize our national security, I am directing the termination of all current memberships on advisory committees within DHS, effective immediately.
Future committee activities will be focused solely on advancing our critical mission to protect the homeland and support DHS’s strategic priorities. To outgoing advisory board members, you are welcome to reapply, thank you for