The Trump administration has fired hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, a move that has sparked widespread concern about aviation safety and national security. The terminations, which began late Friday night, come just weeks after a fatal mid-air collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Probationary employees targeted in late-night emails
According to David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, the layoffs primarily affected probationary employees, including those maintaining critical radar and navigational aid systems. Some workers were also engaged in classified defense projects, such as an early warning radar system for Hawaii designed to detect incoming cruise missiles.
Charles Spitzer-Stadtlander, one of the fired employees, warned that the layoffs could have dire consequences for national security. “This is about protecting national security, and I’m scared to death,” he said. “And the American public should be scared too.”
The employees were notified via emails from an unverified address rather than official government accounts, raising further concerns about the process.
FAA staffing crisis deepens
The FAA has faced persistent staffing shortages in recent years, leading to growing fears over aviation safety. Experts have repeatedly warned that an overworked and understaffed air traffic control system increases the risk of close calls and fatal accidents. The recent collision at Reagan National Airport highlighted the problem, with reports indicating that a single controller was managing both commercial and military traffic at the time of the crash.
Despite these concerns, Trump’s administration has continued to dismantle key aviation oversight panels. In late January, just days before the collision, he fired all members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, a panel tasked with evaluating safety risks at airlines and airports.
Accusations of political targeting emerge
Spitzer-Stadtlander has suggested that his termination may have been politically motivated. He claims to have been targeted for his criticism of Tesla and X, both owned by Elon Musk, who is leading Trump’s efforts to streamline the federal government.
“The official DOGE Facebook page started harassing me on my personal Facebook account after I criticized Tesla and Twitter,” Spitzer-Stadtlander wrote in a LinkedIn post over the weekend. “Less than a week later, I was fired, despite my position allegedly being exempted due to national security.”
Growing backlash and unanswered questions
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association has stated that it is currently “analyzing the effect of the reported federal employee terminations on aviation safety, the national airspace system, and our members.” Meanwhile, calls for accountability are mounting as aviation and national security experts warn that these firings could have catastrophic consequences.
The Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency has yet to comment on the firings, leaving the fate of the affected employees—and the safety of America’s skies—in limbo.
