The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has experienced a major lack of employees because of policies implemented by President Donald Trump‘s administration. This has raised concerns, particularly because the U.S. has seen an alarming increase in plane crashes for the reason that start of the 12 months. Moreover, FAA officials have warned through the years that the agency is understaffed and that its employees are working in an overstressed system. In 2023, as reported by AP, Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told a Senate panel that air traffic and staffing shortages have worsened for the reason that pandemic.
Following the deadly collision in Washington on January 29 between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet, President Trump appointed Chris Rocheleau because the Acting FAA Administrator. He described Rocheleau, a 22-year FAA veteran, as “highly respected.” Without evidence, the President blamed FAA diversity requirements and his two Democratic predecessors for the crash that killed 67 people, alleging lax air traffic control standards.
Discover more concerning the agency and layoffs below.
How Many Federal Employees Are There in America?
The variety of federal staff within the U.S. varies, but based on The Hill, there are over 2.1 million federal employees across various agencies, including the Department of Defense, Health and Human Services, and the Department of Homeland Security.
What Is the FAA?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a government agency liable for regulating and overseeing civil aviation within the U.S., including air traffic control, aircraft certification, and aviation safety.
Did Trump Fire FAA Employees?
In line with the Skilled Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) union, “several hundred” staff received termination notices on Friday, with the number estimated to be near 300.
The firings on the FAA didn’t include air traffic controllers but appeared to affect engineers and technicians. Lots of the staff terminated were probationary employees, having been employed for lower than a 12 months and lacking job protection.
“This decision didn’t consider the staffing needs of the FAA, which is already challenged by understaffing,” David Spero, the national president of the Skilled Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO, said in a press release. “Staffing decisions needs to be based on a person agency’s mission-critical needs. To do otherwise is dangerous in terms of public safety. And it is very unconscionable within the aftermath of three deadly aircraft accidents up to now month.”
