February 17, 2025-No agency is left untouched in the Trump Administration’s government overhaul. Several hundred employees from the Federal Aviation Administration received emails over the weekend informing them they have been fired. According to the Associated Press, the firings impact support staff for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, and one air traffic controller.
This comes just weeks after a fatal plane and helicopter crash in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
The Impact
The FAA has roughly 50,000 employees. The layoff primarily impacts staff that was newly hired or promoted in the last year. According to USA Today, the layoff affects 400 workers. The USAT article, which cited David Spero, national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, said the cuts impact, “workers who assist FAA technicians administratively and logistically, environmental compliance workers, aeronautical information specialists and maintenance mechanics.’
The Associated Press reported that other workers were involved with “an urgent and classified early warning radar system” for the Air Force.
The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, a union, said the FAA is “already challenged by understaffing.”
