Firing of Coast Guard commandant by Trump administration is 'politically motivated,' Van Hollen says

Jeff Barker, Baltimore Sun on Jan 21, 2025

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Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan was fired on the second day of the Trump administration, an action Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen called “politically motivated.”

A Department of Homeland Security memo said Tuesday that the agency had “relieved Admiral Linda L. Fagan of her duties as Commandant of the United States Coast Guard” and that Admiral Kevin Lunday would be acting commandant.

Fagan helped oversee the rescue operation following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March that killed six construction workers and temporarily choked commerce to the Port of Baltimore.

The DHS memo, posted on the Coast Guard website, gave no reason for her dismissal and thanked her for “a long and illustrious career.”

However, numerous reports said Fagan, the first female military service chief, was fired for, among other reasons, emphasizing policies of diversity, equity and inclusion that Trump opposes. On Monday, Trump said he wanted a society that is “merit-based” and signed executive orders that ended diversity programs.

“Admiral Fagan has served our country with distinction and played a pivotal role in our response to the Key Bridge collapse,” Van Hollen, a Democrat, posted on X. “This politically motivated firing is outrageous and sends all the wrong signals to our men and women in uniform.”

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