WASHINGTON – Approximately 400 newly hired support staff members at the Federal Aviation Administration were terminated over the weekend as part of the Trump administration’s sweeping dismissals of federal employees, according to the union representing these workers.
These dismissals occurred less than three weeks following a midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter outside Washington, resulting in 67 fatalities and prompting renewed scrutiny of air traffic controllers and their workloads.
Similar to others within the federal sector, the laid-off FAA employees were probationary workers brought on or promoted within the past year.
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The dismissed FAA personnel included those who assist technicians administratively and logistically, workers for environmental compliance, aeronautical information specialists, maintenance staff, and mechanics, according to David Spero, the national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, a union representing approximately 11,000 FAA and Defense Department employees who support air traffic controllers.
Spero noted that the termination notifications began arriving at 7 p.m. Friday and continued into the night.
FAA technicians and aviation safety inspectors were exempt from the layoffs, as were air traffic controllers, represented by a different union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
However, Spero remarked that the elimination of the probationary FAA workers would significantly impact operations.
“By exempting those individuals, the intention is to ensure that aviation safety is not adversely affected,” Spero told USA TODAY. “Yet the loss of these other support staff creates a substantial gap in the necessary support functions that allow frontline operations to proceed smoothly. Without these employees, your operational capacity is severely diminished.”
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A representative from the FAA did not respond immediately to a request for comments.
In the aftermath of the January 30 midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, President Donald Trump partly attributed the incident to diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring practices, despite lacking any supporting evidence.
The mass dismissals of probationary employees throughout the federal workforce are part of Trump’s campaign to dramatically downsize the government via billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which has quickly moved from department to department to cut expenditures.
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that members of Musk’s SpaceX team would visit the Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Virginia on Monday to evaluate the air traffic control system, engage with air traffic controllers, and “envision how we can create a new, improved, state-of-the-art, safer system.”
Duffy, in a post on X, refuted any claims that he is providing “special access” to DOGE and his team, asserting that the FAA routinely facilitates tours of the command center for media and private companies.
“My door at @USDOT is open to any and all patriotic developers or companies willing to contribute to this incredible, transformative mission. I welcome any organization eager to usher in America’s golden age of travel!” Duffy stated.
Connect with Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
