The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has suffered significant employee losses under President Donald Trump’s administration, leading to concerns amid a rise in plane crashes in the U.S. FAA officials have long warned of understaffing and overworked employees, with recent reports showing worsening air traffic and staffing shortages. In response to a recent fatal collision in Washington, President Trump appointed Chris Rocheleau as the Acting FAA Administrator. Learn more about the agency and recent layoffs below.
### How Many Federal Workers Are There in America?
The U.S. has over 2.1 million federal employees across different agencies, including the Department of Defense, Health and Human Services, and the Department of Homeland Security.
### What Is the FAA?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is responsible for regulating and overseeing civil aviation in the U.S., covering air traffic control, aircraft certification, and aviation safety.
### Did President Trump Fire FAA Workers?
According to the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) union, around 300 FAA employees received termination notices, mostly affecting engineers and technicians but not air traffic controllers. Many of the terminated employees were probationary and lacked job protection. The decision has raised concerns about the FAA’s already challenged staffing and its impact on public safety in the wake of recent deadly aircraft accidents.
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