Donald Trump and Elon Musk have kicked safety to the curb—literally—by firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees despite a deadly streak of plane crashes under Trump’s administration.
Just days after a deadly mid-air collision, the Trump administration, backed by Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), is booting hundreds of FAA workers—many of them in vital safety roles like radar, landing, and navigational aid maintenance. Even air traffic controllers, who play a critical role in keeping planes in the air and on the ground safely, have been caught in the crossfire.
“Several hundred” employees were given pink slips last week, according to the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union (PASS), and now there’s talk that these workers might be barred from FAA facilities as early as this Tuesday.
This mass firing comes at the worst possible time—after a month filled with fatal aviation disasters that have claimed lives and raised serious concerns about the FAA’s understaffing. Since Trump took office, at least six deadly crashes have rocked the aviation world, including a catastrophic collision between a U.S. Army helicopter and a passenger jet near Washington, D.C. that killed 67 people. Just days later, an air ambulance crash in Philadelphia took seven lives, and the horrors kept coming—10 died in a crash in Alaska, and one more person perished in a tragic accident in Scottsdale, Arizona.
And yet, instead of acting to bolster safety, Trump and Musk are playing fast and loose with public safety. Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was quick to demand answers, asking how many FAA personnel were axed and why, with critics pointing out the absurdity of firing workers when the agency is already struggling to keep pace with the demands of air traffic control. ‘
“Mass firings of FAA workers—at a time when they already have serious staffing problems—would be dangerous at any time,” said U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA). “Musk and Trump doing this weeks after the deadliest crash in years is stupid beyond belief.”
“No president has had more planes crash in their first month in office than Donald Trump,” charged U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA).
Jason King, a former FAA employee and disabled veteran who was laid off last week, was furious, especially since his job directly impacted aviation safety. “My unit directly with the FAA is directly involved with safety,” he told WUSA, underscoring how Trump and Musk’s decision to gut the FAA could lead to more lives lost.
Critics have long warned about the consequences of understaffing and the dangers of firing key personnel during such a critical time. David Spero, the national president of PASS, slammed the decision as “dangerous,” especially after multiple deadly incidents.
“Staffing decisions should be based on an individual agency’s mission-critical needs,” he said. “To do otherwise is dangerous when it comes to public safety. And it is especially unconscionable in the aftermath of three deadly aircraft accidents in the past month.”
But despite the outcry, Trump and Musk are doubling down, prioritizing their agenda over the lives of American citizens. The same people responsible for the deadliest crashes in years are now calling the shots on aviation safety. It’s a catastrophe in the making—one that could very well claim more lives as the consequences of their reckless actions unfold.
This isn’t just bad management; it’s outright negligence that puts every American flying in harm’s way. Yet, while Trump and Musk slashed critical staff, Trump took a taxpayer-funded joyride at the Daytona 500, clearly more interested in NASCAR than in the safety of the skies. If this is what “making America safe” looks like, then we’re all in deep trouble.
