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New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand criticized President Donald Trump for firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration employees, including safety inspectors and maintenance mechanics during a press conference Thursday. Following her address, Gillibrand wrote to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, calling for explanations for the firings.

The Trump administration laid off hundreds of FAA employees weeks after a Jan. 29 collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing all 67 passengers on board, including a Syracuse University alum. Gillibrand called the layoffs “unacceptable,” emphasizing the safety risks to millions of passengers.

“Trump’s reckless firings put us all at risk,” Gillibrand said. “I’m demanding answers. The administration must provide comprehensive information about exactly how many workers were fired, what they did, where they worked, and what plan – if any – the administration has to replace them and to keep Americans safe.”

In 2024, a record-breaking 145.9 million air passengers flew through New York’s four busiest airports, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

In her letter to Duffy, Gillibrand expressed concern over the termination of FAA employees, warning the layoffs would “inevitably have long-term consequences.” She wrote the firings would also weaken the FAA’s ability to respond to equipment outages and implement modern technologies.

The senator also questioned Duffy about the layoffs, including the criteria used to determine which FAA employees were fired and whether replacements would be hired.

Duffy wrote in a Monday post on X that no air traffic controllers or critical safety personnel were fired and fewer than 400 employees were let go.

Beyond Gillibrand’s concerns, the Trump administration’s layoffs come amid rising skepticism about aviation safety in the United States. More than 90% of the country’s 313 air traffic control facilities are understaffed, the New York Times reported.

On Monday, those safety concerns grew after a Delta Airlines plane, which had taken off from Minneapolis, flipped upside down on the runway at Canada’s Toronto Pearson International Airport. Authorities evacuated 80 passengers from the tarmac and reported 18 people injured. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer blamed Trump for the crash in a Monday post on X, saying the President’s layoffs have made “our skies less and less safe.”

Schumer, the other New York senator, said despite the flight landing in Canada, the FAA still had responsibility for ensuring the plane landed safely.

Schumer’s comments come weeks after he criticized Trump for dismantling the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, which proposes safety recommendations to the Transportation Security Administration and the FAA. He sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Secretary, Kristi Noem, urging the department to reinstate the committee.

ASAC was founded after the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. In his letter, Schumer called the committee’s dismantling “insulting” to the 259 victims of the terrorist attack, including 35 SU students who were returning from study abroad programs. Every year, the university celebrates the lives of the students by naming 35 Remembrance Scholars in their honor.

A week after Schumer sent the letter, the American Airlines and Army flights collided.

“The flight took off from Minneapolis. The FAA was still responsible for inspecting the aviation equipment, and Trump just let go of FAA safety specialists,” Schumer wrote Monday.

Published on February 23, 2025 at 9:07 pm

Contact Henry: hdaley@syr.edu