Report: Ex-Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan Abruptly Evicted From Base Housing

 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has ejected former Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan from her house with three hours of notice, forcing her to leave her belongings behind, according to NBC and The Independent. 

On January 21, President Donald Trump's second day in office, Fagan was removed from command and replaced by Acting Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday. In an extended letter dated January 21, the Trump administration faulted Fagan for "erosion of trust," low recruitment numbers, high illegal migration, shipbuilding delays, DEI workforce initiatives, and the Coast Guard's response to the Operation Fouled Anchor scandal. Fagan has come in for criticism from Congress and from victims' advocates for her allegedly slow response to the long-buried sexual assault investigation at USMMA.

Fagan's firing came without advance notice, and the Coast Guard provided her with a waiver of 60 days to find an alternative to her current home at Joint Base Anacostia. However, on Tuesday, Trump officials ordered Commandant Adm. Lunday to evict Fagan immediately. According to NBC, she was given three hours to vacate the building and was not able to retrieve many of her possessions before leaving. She was reportedly instructed to leave the building unlocked so that it could be photographed by DHS officials. 

"It's a really strange power play," one associate of Fagan told NBC. 

U.S. Transportation Command will be removing her personal effects from the house, according to the report. 

Adm. Fagan became a commissioned officer in 1985, and was seen as a female pioneer in the service. She rose through the ranks in the marine safety division, and became the service's first female commandant in June 2022. At the time, her appointment was greeted in Washington with fanfare.  

"[Adm. Fagan] upholds the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard," said then-President Joe Biden at her swearing-in ceremony in 2022. "There’s no one more qualified to lead the proud women and men of the Coast Guard, and she will also be the first woman to serve as Commandant of the Coast Guard — the first woman to lead any branch of the United States Armed Forces. And it’s about time."