Several hundred probationary workers at the FAA received word they had been fired in late-night emails on Friday, according to Dave Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union. Some of the affected personnel include those hired for FAA radar, landing, and navigational aid maintenance, according to reporting from the Associated Press.

The layoffs, spurred on by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, come after four fatal plane crashes since President Donald Trump took office last month, in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Alaska, and Scottsdale. Another commercial plane arriving from Minnesota flipped over during a crash landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada on Monday. There were no fatalities, but 21 people, including a child, were injured after the crash.

“Americans are looking to President Trump to make flying safer after the worst U.S. aviation collision in years,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) posted on X on Tuesday. “His response? Firing hundreds of employees at FAA — the agency that plays a critical role in air travel safety. This puts Americans in danger.”

Americans are looking to President Trump to make flying safer after the worst U.S. aviation collision in years.

His response? Firing hundreds of employees at FAA—the agency that plays a critical role in air travel safety.

This puts Americans in danger. https://t.co/MKRK0G7pre

— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) February 18, 2025

The Jan. 29 Potomac River plane crash that killed 67 people occurred just nine days into Trump’s second term and before layoffs took hold. The latest air disaster happened on international soil in Canada.

Still, top Democrats on the committee overseeing aviation slammed Trump for allowing layoffs and accused him of compromising safety.

“Now is not the time to fire technicians who fix and operate more than 74,000 safety-critical pieces of equipment like radars, navigational aids, and communications technology,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the ranking member of the Commerce Committee. 

“The FAA is already short 800 technicians, and these firings inject unnecessary risk into the airspace. In the aftermath of four deadly crashes in the last month, the FAA’s safety workforce needs to be a priority for this administration,” she added.

Cantwell had previously raised concerns about Musk’s involvement in plans to “remake” U.S. airspace with rapid safety upgrades due to his business dealings at SpaceX. The senator sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asking him to bar Musk from any effort to reform air traffic control.  

Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA), the ranking member on the House Transportation Committee, called on the Trump administration to reverse the move on Tuesday, calling it a “reckless purge.”

“Despite promising to spare aviation safety positions from their government-wide purge of public servants, the Trump Administration has now fired hundreds of safety-critical workers that the aviation system depends upon to function,” he said in a statement. “Conducting this reckless purge in the wake of the tragic crash at DCA and in the middle of a busy holiday weekend is a terrible idea that puts the traveling public at risk. It must be reversed immediately.”

House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) highlighted the aviation incidents while placing the blame on Trump in a post on X on Tuesday. 

“Instead of working to prevent tragedies, Trump has fired hundreds of FAA staff who are responsible for keeping our skies safe,” she wrote. “He’s compromising our safety to pay for billionaire tax cuts.”

Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary in the Biden administration, pushed for answers in a post on X, asking, “How many FAA personnel were just fired? What positions? And why?”

Mayor Pete failed for four years to address the air traffic controller shortage and upgrade our outdated, World War II-era air traffic control system. In less than four weeks, we have already begun the process and are engaging the smartest minds in the entire world.

Here’s the… https://t.co/LCL1dswC2T

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) February 18, 2025

In a message responding to Buttigieg’s post, Duffy said fewer than 400 FAA employees were fired and that “zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go.” The current transportation secretary slammed Buttigieg, arguing his predecessor failed to address the air traffic controller shortage and update the system.

“Mayor Pete failed for four years to address the air traffic controller shortage and upgrade our outdated, World War II-era air traffic control system,” Duffy wrote. “In less than four weeks, we have already begun the process and are engaging the smartest minds in the entire world.”

Duffy accused Buttigieg, who is mulling a run for a Michigan U.S. Senate seat, of using the department “as a slush fund for the green new scam and environmental justice nonsense,” saying he’d like to hear from him once they have a “full accounting” of his management of the department.

After the first deadly plane crash outside of Washington, Trump railed against diversity, equity, and inclusion practices from the past administration as the “common sense” reason for the helicopter and plane collision. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

The Department of Transportation is insisting aviation regulators have retained “employees who perform safety critical functions.” The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in a brief statement provided to the Washington Examiner on Tuesday that it was “analyzing the effect of the reported federal employee terminations on aviation safety, the national airspace system and our members.”

The news of the cuts comes as DOGE visited the FAA’s air traffic command center in Virginia on Monday. Duffy said he plans to travel to Oklahoma this week to learn more about the FAA’s controller training academy. 

The firings at the FAA come as the agency has been dealing with a shortage of air traffic controllers for years. Whistleblowers have been raising concerns about the shortfall in controllers, especially after a series of close calls on runways at U.S. airports. The FAA Reauthorization Act, signed into law in May 2024, ensured a five-year commitment to maximum hiring and training to close the current staffing gap.