Trump picks Apple exec to lead transportation safety agency

President Donald Trump has chosen Jonathan Morrison, an Apple executive, to head the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, per a Senate filing.

The nomination will be reviewed and voted on by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation before being sent for a full Senate vote. 

If he’s sworn in, Morrison will oversee an agency that is actively probing Elon Musk’s Tesla, investigations that Department of Transportation head Sean Duffy says will proceed.

Morrison spent the last four years working at Apple, according to his LinkedIn. TechCrunch has reached out to Apple to learn more about Morrison’s role at the company.

Before that, he served as chief counsel for NHTSA during Trump’s first term. Morrison has an automotive background; He was previously president of Auto Advisory Services and director of legal and regulatory affairs at the California New Car Dealers Association. 

Morrison’s car-centric career could align with Trump’s goals for the transportation sector over the next four years. 

Trump has already issued an executive order to pause the development of federally funded EV charging infrastructure and has delayed updates to automatic emergency braking requirements. He intends to roll back Biden era fuel efficiency standards, create a more streamlined path to develop AVs, and end crash reporting updates from self-driving car companies.