U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said she is demanding answers from the Trump administration about firing nearly 400 Federal Aviation Administration employees.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy defended the mass layoffs, tweeting that all fired employees were probationary and that “zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go.”
Gillibrand, the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, expressed concerns over the firings, saying in a press conference, “We need to know what functions will be affected and how these firings will impact aviation safety overall, and we need those answers now.”
“We also know that safety inspectors, systems specialists, and maintenance mechanics are among the workers affected and that at least one of the employees fired worked for FAA's National Defense program, which protects our airspace from enemy drones, missiles, and aircraft used as weapons,” she added.
Gillibrand also worried the firings would exacerbate issues faced by two Long Island facilities operating with almost 40 percent of the positions unfilled, according to the New York Times. The Long Island facilities direct air traffic for high-volume airports, including J.F.K. and LaGuardia.
In a letter to Duffy, Gillibrand said, “Such a drastic change in workforce will inevitably have long-term consequences on the FAA’s efforts to improve and modernize the airspace.”
She also asked him to provide more information about the firings, including the total number of employees by position in the FAA who were terminated, what factors were considered when determining which employee positions were exempt from the terminations, and what steps were taken to ensure the safety of the traveling public prior to the layoffs.
