Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator Steve Dickson announced Wednesday that he will resign from his post.
Dickson announced his resignation, effective at the end of March, to the agency’s employees in an email that was obtained by CBS News. The FAA administrator, who was appointed in 2019 by former President Donald Trump, told his staff he will leave his post to “devote [his] full time and attention” to his family, the outlet reported.
FAA Administrator Steve Dickson resigns, will leave at the end of March https://t.co/HYmlLDF9jO
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 17, 2022
“Although my heart is heavy, I am tremendously proud of everything we have accomplished together over the past several years,” Dickson wrote, according to CBS News. “The agency is in a better place than it was two years ago, and we are positioned for great success.”
He told FAA employees it was the “privilege of a lifetime to serve alongside” them and that after 43 years in the aviation industry, it was “time to go home.”
“Over the past several years, my family has been a source of tremendous encouragement, strength, and support,” Dickson also said in the announcement, according to the Washington Post. “Nevertheless, after sometimes long and unavoidable periods of separation from my loved ones during the pandemic, it is time to devote my full time and attention to them.”
In response to the FAA administrator’s resignation, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told CBS News that Dickson was the FAA’s “steady and skilled captain.” (RELATED: ‘Failure Of Leadership’: Biden Administration Slammed Over 5G Rollout Debacle)
“We are grateful for his years of service to our country and his lifelong dedication to making sure our aviation system is the best and safest in the world,” Buttigieg reportedly said to the outlet.
Republican Missouri Rep. Sam Graves, the ranking member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, released a statement acknowledging Dickson’s “outstanding leadership and steady hand at the FAA.” Graves said Dickson “never compromised on safety” while leading during “a difficult time for the agency.”
“Steve stepped up and led the FAA with confidence and strength, working to restore public confidence in our aviation system while implementing important bipartisan improvements to the aircraft certification process,” wrote Graves. “I appreciate his dedication to public service and his laudable efforts on behalf of the entire aviation community, the traveling public, and the American people.”
“I wish him and his family well,” Graves added.
Dickson’s upcoming departure leaves yet another opening the Biden administration must fill with a nominee with Senate approval. President Joe Biden has faced an uphill battle getting some of his nominees confirmed due to Republican blocks.