Trump administration terminates FAA employees raising safety concerns
The Trump administration has commenced the termination of several hundred Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, causing disruption during a busy air travel weekend. This decision comes shortly after a fatal mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in January.
Probationary workers were informed of their termination through late-night emails on Friday. David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, confirmed this in a statement.
The affected employees include those responsible for FAA radar, landing, and navigational aid maintenance. An air traffic controller, who requested anonymity, noted this information to the Associated Press.
A Transportation Department official stated that no air traffic controllers were impacted and assured that the agency has retained personnel who perform essential safety functions. The agency plans to review whether the radar, landing, and navigational aid workers were involved in critical safety operations.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association is currently assessing the implications of these terminations on aviation safety, the national airspace system, and its members.
Other terminated employees were engaged in a classified early warning radar system for Hawaii designed to detect potential cruise missile threats, a programme partly funded by the Defence Department. This system is one of several managed by the FAA's National Defence Program, which aims to provide extended detection capabilities around national borders.
Charles Spitzer-Stadtlander, one of the staff members terminated, highlighted the typical extensive knowledge transfer procedures prior to retirement to preserve institutional knowledge.
Spitzer-Stadtlander expressed concerns about the impact of these firings on national security, stating, "And the American public should be scared too."
Spero indicated that notifications of terminations began around 7 p.m. on Friday and continued into the night. Additional notifications may be sent over the long weekend, leading to potential access denials for some employees on Tuesday.
The terminations were executed "without cause nor based on performance or conduct," according to Spero. He noted that the termination emails originated from a Microsoft email address linked to an "exec order" rather than a government address.
The FAA is currently grappling with a shortage of controllers, which federal officials have warned about due to an overextended air traffic control system, following numerous close calls between aircraft at U.S. airports. Factors contributing to these staffing shortages include uncompetitive pay, long shifts, extensive training, and mandatory retirements.
In a tragic incident on January 29 involving a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet, one controller was managing both commercial and helicopter traffic at a busy airport during the crisis.
Just days before the collision, President Donald Trump dismissed all members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, a body established by Congress in the wake of the 1988 PanAm 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. This committee is responsible for addressing safety concerns at airlines and airports.
Spitzer-Stadtlander alleged that he was specifically targeted for termination due to his criticism of Tesla and X, formerly Twitter, and not as part of a thorough probationary purge. Both companies are owned by Elon Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency is overseeing Trump’s government reduction efforts.
Spitzer-Stadtlander, who is Jewish, expressed outrage over Musk’s gestures during Trump’s inauguration and posted on Facebook urging his friends to dispose of their Tesla and X accounts. This post attracted the attention of a Facebook account labelled "Department of Government Efficiency."
He claimed that he was meant to be protected from the probationary terminations due to his role focusing on national security threats, yet was dismissed just days later. He also noted, "When DOGE fired me, they turned off my computer and wiped all of my files without warning."
The Department of Government Efficiency had not responded to requests for comment. The terminations were first reported by CNN.
