Trump's sweeping layoffs hit FAA amid aviation safety crisis
The Donald Trump administration has recently laid off hundreds of employees from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including controllers and specialists responsible for flight safety. "This is outrageous after three fatal aviation accidents within a month," stated the president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists.
According to NBC television, the layoffs affect about 300 employees, primarily newly hired and those on probation, and are part of broader layoffs across the entire state apparatus. However, according to former FAA official Dylan O'Sullivan, they involve not only new employees but also those newly promoted, some of whom hold positions critical for air traffic safety.
An expert suggested in a Facebook post that the employees selected for layoff were chosen using artificial intelligence. According to union members, the laid-off individuals include mechanics, safety specialists, managers, and air traffic controllers.
Trade unions have sharply criticized the decision regarding the layoffs. They accuse the Trump administration and Elon Musk's team of making blind cuts without considering needs and consequences. Union members highlight that the layoffs come shortly after the biggest air disaster in years in Washington and a series of other aviation accidents.
David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), criticized the decision for overlooking the FAA’s staffing requirements. He emphasized that the agency is already struggling with a shortage of personnel. PASS represents more than 11,000 employees responsible for overseeing air traffic and flight operations.
He stressed that staffing decisions must align with the specific needs of each agency, as failing to do so poses serious risks to public safety. He found it especially alarming given the occurrence of three fatal aviation accidents in the past month.
Trump is massively firing officials
The cuts at the FAA are part of mass and chaotic layoffs taking place in many other federal agencies since Donald Trump began his second term. In recent days, the layoffs have included the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest biomedical research organization in the world; the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); rangers from the US Forest Service; and even the Department of Energy, where hundreds of employees responsible for nuclear weapons have been laid off. In the latter case, most of the dismissed officials were reinstated after the matter gained media attention.
The layoffs come after 75,000 federal employees accepted an offer to leave the administration voluntarily. Earlier, Donald Trump signed an order requiring individual agencies to collaborate with Elon Musk's team on deep staffing cuts.
"In our case, the people who have lost their jobs so far were those dealing with the control of tobacco products and devices. But I think it's only a matter of time before the layoffs affect more people, so many specialists are already looking for new jobs," said a Food and Drug Administration employee to the Polish Press Agency.
