According to the union representing these employees, around 400 newly hired support staff employees at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were dismissed over the weekend as part of the Trump administration’s widespread terminations of federal workers.
The mass layoffs occurred just weeks after a tragic midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, which killed 67 people. The crash has renewed scrutiny of air traffic controllers and their workloads.
Who was affected?
Like other federal employees affected by the mass terminations, the dismissed FAA workers were probationary employees hired or promoted within the past year.
The terminated employees included:
- Administrative and logistical support staff for FAA technicians
- Environmental compliance workers
- Aeronautical information specialists
- Maintenance workers
- Mechanics
According to David Spero, national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) union, the notices were sent out starting at 7 p.m. on Friday and continued late into the night.
Who was exempt?
FAA technicians and aviation safety inspectors were spared from the layoffs. Air traffic controllers, who are represented by a different union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, were also exempt.
Despite these exemptions, Spero warned that the terminations would have a major impact.
“By exempting those people, the goal is to make sure that nothing that is directly impacting aviation safety has an adverse impact,” Spero told USA TODAY. “But when you lose all these other people, these other support people, that creates a huge hole in all those support functions that we need to have to do our jobs on the front line. So without them, your folks are severely handicapped.”
The FAA has not yet provided an official comment on the layoffs.
The broader context of federal layoffs
The mass firings are part of Trump’s broader initiative to shrink the federal government. The effort is being spearheaded by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been aggressively cutting jobs across multiple agencies to reduce spending.
Since taking office, Trump has blamed diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring initiatives for government inefficiencies. Following the January 30 midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, he partially attributed the crash to these initiatives, though he provided no evidence to support the claim.
Musk’s involvement in aviation overhaul
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that members of Musk’s SpaceX team would be visiting the Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Virginia on Monday. Their goal is to assess the air traffic control system, engage with air traffic controllers, and explore modernization efforts.
Duffy addressed concerns about potential conflicts of interest, insisting that the visit was not giving “special access” to DOGE or Musk’s team.
“My door at @USDOT is open to any and all patriotic developers or companies who want to help our country in this incredible, game-changing mission,” Duffy wrote in a post on X. “I hope to hear from any company committed to ushering in America’s golden age of travel!”
Future of the FAA and air traffic control
With critical support staff now gone, concerns are growing about how the FAA will maintain its operations. Industry experts worry that the cuts could slow down maintenance, inspections, and other essential functions that keep air traffic running smoothly.
As the government continues its workforce reduction efforts, aviation professionals and the traveling public will be watching closely to see how these changes impact air safety and efficiency in the months ahead.
