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The Federal Aviation Administration has begun firing hundreds of employees, following a directive from the Trump administration.
Some shit you should know before you read: Shortly after taking office, President Trump prioritized shrinking the federal government, arguing that excessive bureaucracy hindered efficiency and wasted taxpayer dollars. His administration implemented widespread efforts to reduce the federal workforce, offering numerous buyout packages and early retirement incentives to employees across various agencies, including the FAA. Officials justified these cuts by claiming that government agencies had become bloated with redundant positions, outdated systems, and inefficiencies that slowed operations. However, critics warned that the reductions could weaken essential public services and were also intended to install loyalists—an accusation the administration denied.
What’s going on now: According to various unions representing FAA employees, the recent layoffs affected nearly 300 workers, including maintenance mechanics, aeronautical information specialists, environmental protection specialists, aviation safety assistants, and administrative personnel. These employees were primarily responsible for maintaining critical air traffic control infrastructure, such as radar, landing systems, and navigational aids. While the layoffs did not include air traffic controllers themselves, the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) union warned that cutting essential support staff would strain an already understaffed agency. The affected employees, many of whom were still in their probationary period, received termination notices late Friday evening via messages from an “exec order” Microsoft email address rather than an official government domain.
PASS union president David Spero condemned the firings, calling them a “hastily made decision” that ignored the agency’s urgent staffing needs. “These are not nameless, faceless bureaucrats. They are our family, friends, and neighbors. Many military veterans are among them,” Spero said in a statement. He further criticized the move as “especially unconscionable in the aftermath of three deadly aircraft accidents in the past month,” arguing that staffing decisions should be based on mission-critical needs, not cost-cutting measures. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association also voiced concerns, stating that it was “analyzing the effect of the reported federal employee terminations on aviation safety, the national airspace system, and our members.”
This all comes as former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg criticized the layoffs, demanding transparency about the decision and its potential impact on aviation safety. “The flying public needs answers,” Buttigieg wrote in a social media post. “How many FAA personnel were just fired? What positions? And why?”
At the moment, the FAA has not commented on the firings.
