No. 2 official at Transportation Department is named FAA’s interim leader

Polly Trottenberg, the deputy US transportation secretary and a former New York City transportation commissioner, has been named the interim leader of the FAA, the latest attempt by the Biden administration to fill the leadership void atop the nation’s federal air safety regulator.The move comes after President Biden’s nominee to lead the FAA, Phillip A. Washington, withdrew from consideration in March. He had faced criticism from Republican senators and struggled to win support to be confirmed. The FAA has been without permanent leadership since Stephen Dickson, a former Delta Air Lines executive and appointee of President Donald J. Trump, stepped down in 2022. Trottenberg, 59, will succeed the FAA’s acting administrator, Billy Nolen, who had previously been the agency’s top safety official. Nolen announced in April that he planned to step down.<br/>