With President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet taking shape and the entire federal government readying for a changing of the guard in January, many top officials at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration could soon find themselves headed for the door.
FMCSA, like many other federal agencies, has leadership staff appointed by the executive branch. When a new president comes in, often, but not always, these political appointees exit the role. When a new party takes office, the departures only get more likely.
At the top of the list of FMCSA political appointees, normally, would sit the Administrator, but FMCSA hasn't had a full-time appointed administrator since Robin Hutcheson left the role in January.
Deputy Administrator Vinn White, who took on the administrator role in an "acting" capacity, after formerly serving as the DOT’s Acting Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, sits next in line as a political appointee. White, in remarks made at an FMCSA stakeholder day reviewing pending fraud-fighting changes planned for the registration system, expressed his excitement about the new system "closing loopholes" and otherwise modernizing.
Sue Lawless, Executive Director and Chief Safety Officer, is another political appointee. She assumed the role in August 2023 and has overseen grants handed out for safety programs.
Melody Drummond Hansen, FMCSA's chief legal counsel, was also a political appointee. Drummond Hansen took on the role just in July, but her office helped inform Overdrive about a complicated administrative law issue, explaining why FMCSA does not fine "chameleon carriers" anymore despite successfully doing so in the past.
[Related: FMCSA's confusing excuse for not enforcing its own rules]
Finally, Brenna Marron, associate administrator for governmental and external affairs, is a political appointee who took on the role in July. Marron "works closely with and advises the FMCSA senior staff on coordination of the agency’s legislative affairs, Congressional relations, external affairs, and policy matters affecting federal, state and local government," according to her bio on the agency website. In other words, she oversees agency briefing of members of Congress and other governmental entities at local/state levels when it comes to regulated industries and agency policy -- a change in this position could impact legislation and more.
For a preview of some of the legislative and regulatory impacts likely under a new Trump administration, read here.
