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Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Opinion, Social Media, Trump second term

Pete Buttigieg Sharply Rebukes Trump After Reports Claim He Fired FAA Personnel Despite Multiple Plane Tragedies

No, he doesn't care.

605
605 points

In the wake of a deadly midair collision over Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump has laid off hundreds of Federal Aviation probationary employees who play critical roles in maintaining air traffic control infrastructure, reps for their union said.

If you ever thought Donald Trump gives a fig about your safety, more fool you. Trump is only interested in you if you’re a billionaire, and even then, it’s only if you give him money. If he can blithely fire hundreds of people, all of whom now have to figure out how to make a living, he surely doesn’t care about you.

Our former transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, likely understands this, and on Monday on X, he posted:

And, as CNN reports, we don’t know exactly how many people were fired. However, according to the head of the Professional Aviation Safety Specials, AFL-CIO, “several hundred” workers started getting firing notices Friday. These folks may have even been barred from entering FAA facilities on Tuesday after Monday’s holiday.

It hasn’t even been three weeks since the midair collision over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people in an industry where there were already shortages of air traffic controllers, coupled with FAA infrastructure problems. In the days following the crash, the FAA’s system that distributes crucial flight safety alerts to pilots failed, forcing the agency to rely on a backup system.

In the weeks after taking office, Trump and his billionaire buddy Elon Musk have fired top officials and convinced 77,000 workers to voluntarily leave their jobs by waving money at them through a deferred resignation offer. Then, the administration broadened that effort. Apparently, most workers who have been let go are probationary workers, and the administration has been telling agencies to move forward with the layoffs.

As you might expect, folks on social media responded to Buttigieg’s post, adding some thoughts of their own.

@BenjaminPDixon wrote:

“But Brother Pete,”

“You fail to realize how much MAGA would rather die in airplane crashes than betray Donald Trump.”

@FrankMikeDavis cautioned:

“!! My family has stopped flying until we are assured that Control Towers are adequately staffed!!”

@RugAnonymous suggested:

“@PeteButtigieg you should set up a website where FAA employees that have been fired can report it. They can state what they were responsible for. This will give you and the public an idea of the new weaknesses in the FAA.”

@fuller_sean noted:

“Well don’t ask the current Transportation Secretary for any answers. He doesn’t seem to ever really be in the loop of what’s going on at Transportation until after it happens”

Sean Duffy is the nascent Transportation Secretary. Fox4 notes that there have been four deadly plane crashes since January 29 and 85 people have died. Fox also notes that before 2025, the most recent deadly plane crash involving a U.S. airline occurred in 2009.

This is not a good look. But Trump obviously doesn’t care about this. If he did care, he’d take steps to make flying safer for all of us.

He wouldn’t be firing people who are in charge of keeping us safe.

Featured image via Screengrab

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Megan Hamilton

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Megan Colleen Hamilton was born and raised on progressive politics and she has long fought for liberal causes. She has lived in the Pacific Northwest, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, parts of Mexico, and now Central America. Her travels have further informed her progressive beliefs in these troubled times. She is currently owned by 10 cats, two dogs, and one naughty rabbit. She actually is one of those “childless cat ladies.”

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