Sean Duffy: Less Than 400 FAA Employees Fired

Social media beef between the former and current secretary of transportation heats up.

Caleb Revill

Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at 02:51 PM ET

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Edited By: tccjeremy

A Southwest aircraft taxis in Austin. [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy confirmed fewer than 400 probationary FAA employees were terminated, emphasizing that no air traffic controllers or critical safety personnel were among those let go.
Duffy's announcement was a scathing response to his predecessor, Pete Buttigieg, justifying the layoffs of recent probationary hires and criticizing Buttigieg's leadership for alleged mismanagement and failure to address the air traffic controller shortage.
The current administration, under Duffy, claims to be actively upgrading the air traffic control system, including engaging Elon Musk's SpaceX for improvements, after accusing the previous administration of inaction.

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U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said less than 400 probationary employees at the FAA have been recently terminated.

In a scathing response to his predecessor, Pete Buttigieg, Duffy said on X that zero air traffic controllers (ATCs)and critical safety personnel were let go during last weekend’s round of layoffs. A Department of Transportation spokesperson also confirmed the agency is continuing to onboard ATCs and other safety positions, including technicians.