(Adds vote count, statement from lone dissenting Senator)
WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Mondayconfirmed President Barack Obama's choice of Peter Neffenger tobe the next head of the Transportation Security Administration,the agency charged with securing U.S. airports.
Neffenger, a Coast Guard vice admiral, has been awaitingSenate approval since Obama nominated him in April. Once swornin, he will take over the agency following reports that TSAscreeners failed 67 out of 70 tests by undercover officers whowere attempting to bring fake weapons past security checkpoints.
The Senate vote was 81-1, with the only dissenter RepublicanSenator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, a sharp critic of the agency whosaid it has failed to adequately address security lapses.
"While Admiral Neffenger is an impressive man, it is naiveand dangerous to pretend installing one director can heal whatails TSA," Sasse said in a statement. "The Department ofHomeland Security needs to admit that it has a crisis ofbureaucratic complacency - lacking an overarching vision andcoherent measures of success and failure."
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has ordered tighterprocedures and more training for agency employees after reportsthis year that TSA officers missed mock explosives and weaponsin covert tests and failed to find alleged terrorism links fordozens of airport workers.
In 2010 Neffenger oversaw U.S. efforts to deal with the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. (Reporting By David Lawder; Editing by Lisa Lambert)
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