Elon Musk-Led DOGE Under Fire for Controversial Job Cuts

The Donald Trump administration has begun a process of laying off employees at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Members of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are heading to the FAA headquarters.

In a post on social media last Sunday, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, “DOGE staff will visit FAA headquarters. They will get a basic understanding of the current system, learn what traffic controllers like and dislike about the current control system, and consider how we can build it into a new, better, and safer system.”

During this year’s election campaign, Donald Trump promised to take measures to reduce government spending. After winning the election, he set to work to fulfill his promise. He formed the DOGE to manage government spending reduction activities. The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, was given the responsibility of running the office.

There have been allegations that DOGE officials are accessing government databases and are taking controversial steps to reduce the number of U.S. federal government employees.

It is reported that more than a hundred newly hired employees are among those who have been laid off from the FAA. However, the FAA authorities recently hired new employees to reduce the additional workload on the employees. For several years, there have been warnings from within the FAA that its employees are under excessive workload and that the air traffic control system is facing a chronic staffing crisis.

The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) union issued a statement on Saturday regarding the layoffs. It said, “We are concerned and disappointed by the administration’s decision to lay off FAA probationary employees, whether based on performance or conduct or for any reason.”

The statement also specifically noted that layoff notices may come from outside the FAA’s own official communications system, rather than from within it.

The FAA has its own communication system to ensure the security of information contained in e-mails, to store information about the organization’s activities, and to ensure transparency. The Trump administration’s decision to lay off staff from the FAA comes at a time when questions have been raised about the safety of the US civil aviation system.