Over the weekend, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the premier authority in U.S. aviation, found itself at the center of controversy following the Trump Administration’s decision to terminate hundreds of its employees. This action comes on the heels of a tragic midair collision in Washington, D.C., which claimed 67 lives just weeks prior.

The majority of those laid off were probationary employees, part of a broader initiative from the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an effort linked to billionaire Elon Musk aimed at improving government efficiency. While no air traffic controllers were included in this round of layoffs, concerns have been raised about the FAA’s ability to maintain critical operations amid staffing shortages and increasing scrutiny following a series of recent incidents. Just a day later, a Delta Air Lines flight arriving from Minneapolis crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport, injuring at least 18 people when the aircraft flipped over on the runway.

Aviation safety experts and union representatives are expressing serious concerns that these layoffs could further strain an already pressured agency, tasked with improving its safety record and addressing workforce gaps. The union representing the affected workers characterized the layoffs as a “hasty decision” that could “increase the workload and add responsibilities to a workforce that is already stretched thin.” They pointed out that such measures are particularly troubling in light of three deadly aviation incidents occurring within the same month.

In response to the backlash, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy took to social media, asserting, “The FAA has a robust workforce of 45,000 employees. Fewer than 400 probationary staff were let go in this process, none of whom were air traffic controllers or essential safety personnel.”

Let’s take a closer look at what the FAA is and the role it plays in aviation safety.

Understanding the FAA: Its Role and Responsibilities

The FAA is the primary federal agency responsible for aviation safety in the United States. Established under the U.S. Department of Transportation, the agency governs civil aviation, oversees air traffic control, manages airport operations, and certifies aircraft.

The FAA was created in response to a tragic event in 1958 when a military jet collided with a commercial airliner at 21,000 feet over Las Vegas.

Beyond its daily operations, the FAA also plays an essential yet often overlooked role in national security. The agency protects U.S. airspace through initiatives like the National Airspace System Defense Program, which utilizes radar systems to detect potential missile threats or unauthorized aircraft. Furthermore, the FAA regulates unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones, within U.S. airspace. Recently, the agency imposed a temporary ban on drone flights in New Jersey due to sightings of unidentified, brightly colored flying objects.

The FAA’s responsibilities even extend to monitoring rocket launches, including those conducted by Musk’s SpaceX. Last year, the agency proposed civil penalties against SpaceX for alleged violations of licensing requirements, prompting Musk to threaten legal action against the FAA for what he claimed was “regulatory overreach.”

According to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released last year, the FAA has been struggling with workforce shortages and outdated technology for quite some time. The report indicated that more than one-third of the FAA’s systems were considered “unsustainable” due to obsolescence or lack of spare parts. The GAO emphasized the slow pace of modernization within the agency and noted the absence of clear plans to address critical system needs.

Consequences of the Recent Layoffs

Officials from the Department of Transportation quickly moved to downplay the significance of the recent layoffs, suggesting that they primarily affected probationary employees and did not include air traffic controllers. However, these terminations come amid increasing criticism from President Donald Trump and others regarding the FAA’s operational efficiency.

Union representatives argue that the layoffs disproportionately impacted technical staff, especially those involved in radar maintenance and other critical infrastructure roles.

David Spero, national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO, stated, “This decision disregards the staffing needs of the FAA, which is already grappling with understaffing. Staffing decisions should reflect the agency’s mission-critical requirements. Ignoring this poses a risk to public safety, especially after three fatal aircraft accidents in the past month.”

The layoffs of FAA employees were part of a larger wave of federal layoffs impacting thousands nationwide, initiated on Thursday with little notice and predominantly targeting probationary workers—those with less than one or two years of employment, who are easier to terminate. The Trump Administration has directed most agencies to release nearly all probationary employees lacking civil service protections.

Read More: ‘The Worst I’ve Ever Seen’: Trump’s Mass Layoffs Leave Federal Workers Baffled and Angry

One affected employee, Charles Spitzer-Stadtlander, worked within the FAA’s National Defense Program. In a LinkedIn post, he described his role as “responsible for ensuring the safety of the National Air Space against threats like missiles, enemy drones, and aircraft potentially used as weapons (think 9/11).”

He added, “The FAA NDP is a small but vital component in protecting the American public and many border states that face potential threats from adversaries like China and Russia.”

Musk’s Allies Evaluating Air Traffic Control Systems

Secretary Duffy announced intentions to overhaul the air traffic control system, with help from a team of engineers from Musk’s SpaceX. Currently facing proposed penalties from the FAA for various compliance issues, SpaceX engineers visited the FAA’s command center in Virginia to understand the existing system, gather feedback from air traffic controllers about their tools, and brainstorm ideas for a new, improved, and safer system. The specific contributions the SpaceX engineers can make to the FAA remain to be seen.

Trump’s Criticism of the FAA

After the tragic crash near D.C. in late January, President Donald Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with the FAA, blaming the incident on diversity initiatives, despite a lack of supporting evidence.

Trump stated, “We need brilliant people in those positions,” alleging that the agency had lowered its standards under former President Joe Biden by actively recruiting individuals with significant intellectual or psychological challenges as part of diversity efforts. These comments have faced widespread backlash, with critics arguing that the President overlooks the essential technical work performed by FAA employees in various roles, and pointing out that the air traffic controller diversity program he criticized was implemented during his first term.

Trump also received criticism for disbanding all members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, established by Congress after the 1988 PanAm 103 bombing to advise the Department of Homeland Security on aviation safety. Although the committee technically still exists, it currently lacks any members to fulfill its mission of reviewing safety issues and recommending improvements to airport and airline security.