The News
US Federal Aviation Administration chief Mike Whitaker announced Thursday that he would resign before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Whitaker took the FAA job in Oct. 2023 at a difficult moment for the agency, as it grappled with a series of airline safety issues, including several near-collisions and myriad problems at major plane manufacturer Boeing.
Under Whitaker’s leadership, the FAA has come under increasing criticism from Trump ally and SpaceX owner Elon Musk, who has repeatedly said the agency unfairly targeted the rocket company.
His decision to step down could be a boon for Musk: The FAA has twice proposed fining SpaceX in the last year for skirting regulations, with Musk accusing the department of “politically motivated behavior,” and, more existentially, holding back his ambition to send humans to Mars. A Trump-nominated FAA head could be more sympathetic.