U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that a team from Elon Musk's SpaceX will visit an air traffic control command center in Virginia on Monday to help overhaul the system after last month's deadly plane crash in Washington, D.C. The news comes after CNN reported that the Federal Aviation Administration laid off hundreds of probationary employees who maintained critical air traffic control infrastructure.
The exact number of people who have lost their jobs is unclear, but the union representing them said it was "hundreds." The Trump administration is trying to lay off thousands of federal employees as it works with congressional Republicans on a massive tax cut bill that it says will primarily benefit corporations and the wealthy.
Elon Musk, the world's richest man, played a key role in mass layoffs at the Department of Government Efficiency. As critics have pointed out, Musk represents a huge conflict of interest as a major government contractor, primarily through his company SpaceX, which both he and President Donald Trump have repeatedly tried to downplay.
Duffy wrote in an article on the Previously, Duffy said that Musk's DOGE team will "connect" with the FAA to help "upgrade our aviation system."
Duffy also dismissed criticism that it would open up the Musk-led team to another sensitive area of the federal government. "Because I know the media (and Hillary Clinton) will claim that Elon's team was given special access, let me be clear, @FAANews regularly gives media and companies tours of the command center. (Clinton has criticized the DOGE team for being inexperienced)," Duffy said.
The FAA is under heightened scrutiny three weeks after a mid-air collision over the Potomac River killed 67 people. The tragedy highlighted a shortage of air traffic controllers and congestion at major hubs such as Ronald Reagan National Airport. The FAA has received hundreds of complaints from air traffic workers describing dangerous conditions ranging from staffing shortages to dilapidated buildings. The agency itself had no permanent head at the time of the crash -- largely because Musk was involved in ousting the previous manager after the FAA fined SpaceX for failing to submit safety data.
Duffy's post did not mention Musk's role in the ouster or the hundreds of employees who had just been laid off. CNN stated that these probationary employees were most likely targeted because they had been employed for less than a year and had no right to appeal.
"This draconian action will increase workload and place new responsibilities on an already stretched workforce," David Spero, national president of the AFL-CIO Professional Aviation Safety Professionals, said in a statement. "This decision does not take into account the staffing needs of the FAA, which already faces staffing challenges."