Associated Press
The Donald Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Probationary workers were targeted in late night emails Friday notifying them they had been fired, David Spero, President of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, said in a statement.
The impacted workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, one air traffic controller told The Associated Press. The air traffic controller was not authorized to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Spero said messages began arriving after 7 p.m. on Friday and continued late into the night. More might be notified over the long weekend or barred from entering FAA buildings on Tuesday, he said.
The employees were fired “without cause nor based on performance or conduct,” Spero said, and the emails were “from an ‘exec order’ Microsoft email address” — not a government email address.
The firings hit the FAA when it faces a shortfall in controllers. Federal officials have been raising concerns about an overtaxed and understaffed air traffic control system for years, especially after a series of close calls between planes at U.S. airports. Among the reasons they have cited for staffing shortages are uncompetitive pay, long shifts, intensive training and mandatory retirements.
24 comments
ScienceBLVR
February 17, 2025 at 9:18 am
Who is going to stop this madness? Where’s Anonymous?
We know it should be Congress along with SCOTUS, but Casey Jones you better watch your speed…Trouble ahea!
Michael K
February 19, 2025 at 1:45 pm
Of course, the convicted felon who does not fly commercial doesn’t care about anyone but himself.
Michael
February 17, 2025 at 9:50 am
Trump should scratch his itch to show his stupidity by concentrating on things that won’t lead to people dying…..like renaming New England to New Northeast America and New Mexico to New Southwest America……you know, the stuff that really matters to MAGhats.
Victoria Olson
February 17, 2025 at 10:22 am
We now have 4 crashes something that hasn’t happened for 20 years. You people who voted for trump this is on you
Peachy
February 17, 2025 at 11:22 am
Really? Like Bush was responsible for 9-11? You know nothing about aviation.
Impeach Musk
February 17, 2025 at 2:47 pm
We kinda know that planes aren’t supposed to fall out of the sky and that air traffic controllers are kinda responsible for making them not crash. Other than the Bernoulli equation, what are we missing?
As an aside, Bush was the CiC when a massive intelligence failure made 9-11 possible so yeah, it’s kinda on him. Only in trumplandia is everything somebody else’s fault
Peachy
February 17, 2025 at 9:24 pm
The training, preparation, and planning all took place while Billy Clinton was CIC.
Impeach Musk
February 18, 2025 at 8:21 am
Trump actually came out and said it was Bush’s fault because he was in charge at the time (2016 debates). Are you saying that trump tells lies? 🤣
Peachy
February 17, 2025 at 11:24 am
Trump has been in office less than one month. These people were in their positions long before
Trump arrived.
PeterH
February 17, 2025 at 1:03 pm
MAGA wingnuts will be apologizing for Trump from now until the cow come home. Proceed as expected IMPEACHBIDEN! 🤡
Skeptic
February 17, 2025 at 3:39 pm
Yes they were in those positions. And not distracted by threats to their livelihoods and ability to feed their families. So, fire them all. What could possibly go wrong?
P.S. Looks like Trump will let Musk review any and all audits of Musk, Trump and and their various companies. Fox and henhouse. Although, with bird flu, may not matter.
PeterH
February 17, 2025 at 1:00 pm
Trump fired Americans responsible for our nuclear arsenal oversight…… and then rehired them after CNN reported the firings! 🤡
Skeptic
February 17, 2025 at 3:40 pm
Rehired the ones that they could find. Which is less than all. But, hey, what’s a few loose nukes among friends.
Skeptic
February 17, 2025 at 4:30 pm
Although Delta is technically subject to FAA regs as an American carrier, at least they had the good sense to flip the plane in Toronto.
Michael K
February 17, 2025 at 6:31 pm
The Musketeers and his Trumpists aren’t seriously trying to solve anything – they just want to break and destroy this nation, bit by bit, so they can do as they please. Notice how they offer ZERO evidence of fraud? It’s no secret that Musk is going after Social Security. And now he and his Trump puppet are about to gain access to your tax data.
President Musk’s tactics may amuse the venture capital class, but destroying lives and institutions is not “public policy.”
Impeach Musk
February 18, 2025 at 8:14 am
Funny how trump squealed like a stuck pig when it was his tax info that folks wanted to see. He now seems awfully cavalier when it comes to everyone else’s info. The usual double standard still in play I guess.
Ron Ogden
February 18, 2025 at 10:37 am
That was his private money. Now we’re talking about MY private money. I hereby give Musk all the permission he needs.
JD
February 18, 2025 at 11:14 am
Just because you endorse someone violating you and your privacy does not mean you can advocate for the same to others.
Ron Ogden
February 19, 2025 at 9:43 am
Yea, it does. I just did it to you. Nice you’re paying attention. Wisdom gained, right? Good day for you, and you’re welcome!
TJC
February 18, 2025 at 11:47 am
There’s no such thing as “private money.” The IRS has the right to audit anyone in order to ascertain that he/she is paying the proper taxes on their income. You feel sure you have nothing to hide, and that’s good, but Trump acted like he had something to hide, and in 2022 a jury found two companies controlled by Trump guilty of 17 counts of criminal tax fraud and falsifying records of those businesses.
Impeach Musk
February 18, 2025 at 3:01 pm
So I assume all you guy’s are fine with a little twat like Musk running around doing the job you elected Trump to do that he is apparently incapable of doing?
Imagine if Biden had bought George Soros in to help fix the government … you’d be rioting in the streets again.
Michael K
February 18, 2025 at 6:19 pm
Deutsche Bank would disagree with your assessment. As would the many creditors Trump has stiffed over the years. Now, he does self-serving business deals from the White House and the MAGA hats see no problem with that.
Silly Wabbit
February 19, 2025 at 10:39 am
Ogden asswhole.
SuzyQ
February 19, 2025 at 10:40 am
Another false nexus manufactured and propagated by delusional leftwing activists and amplified by their impotent megaphone — the corporatist legacy news media.