FILE PHOTO: U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao speaks to the news media outside of the West Wing of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis

(Reuters) - U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said on Tuesday she had asked the department’s inspector general to audit the Federal Aviation Administration’s certification of the Boeing 737 MAX after two fatal crashes involving the jet since October.

Chao said in her memo that the audit is to “assist the FAA in ensuring that its safety procedures are implemented effectively.” The inspector general’s office and Boeing did not immediately comment on Tuesday.