United States Coast Guard Neffenger joined the Coast Guard in 1981
Transportation Security Administration by
Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson in a ceremony held at TSA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia on July 6, 2015. On April 28, 2015, he was nominated by President
Barack Obama to be the administrator of the
Transportation Security Administration. On June 23, 2015, Vice Admiral Neffenger was confirmed by the Senate to be the next Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Department of Homeland Security Secretary
Jeh Johnson released a statement on June 24: "Last night the Senate voted 81–1 to confirm Vice Admiral Peter Neffenger, the current Vice Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, to be the next Administrator of TSA. Admiral Neffenger understands the challenges we face, and I know he is ready to take them on at TSA. During his 30-year career in the Coast Guard, Admiral Neffenger proved himself to be an effective operator and commander. I have utmost faith in Pete Neffenger, and I am confident he will be a strong leader of TSA." On March 22, 2016, a flight carrying Neffenger arrived at
Brussels Airport during the
dual bombing that occurred at the airport. Neffenger was in Brussels to meet with
European Union counterparts. Testifying a few days later in front of the
United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Neffenger said, “I will tell you being there that day, seeing the devastation, seeing the chaos of the airport environment and the evil behind it was a stark reminder of the importance of the work we do every day to protect travelers.” and at
Northeastern University's Global Resilience Institute. In November 2019, Neffenger was appointed as a Director of AET, one of the leading global owners and operators of maritime transportation assets and specialized services. In November 2020, Neffenger was a volunteer member of the
Joe Biden presidential transition Agency Review Team to support Presidential transition efforts related to the
Department of Homeland Security. Neffenger was chairman of the Board of Directors of
Smartmatic USA, a subsidiary of Smartmatic SGO Group, a multinational company that specializes in building and implementing electronic voting systems, from November 2018 to February 2025. He no longer serves on this board. ==Personal life==