'We all lose': Trump’s FAA says employees 'should not attend' meetings on aviation safety

04 February

Despite two deadly plane crashes rocking the Northeastern United States in the span of less than a week, President Donald Trump's administration is reportedly telling employees at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to not participate in discussions to advance aviation safety.

Politico reported Tuesday on a memo from the FAA that instructed employees who work on various advisory committees in the aviation industry that they "should not attend (in-person or virtually) … until further notice." These committees are made up of government officials, representatives from the airline industry, unions representing airline workers and companies that manufacture airplane components, with a focus on better air traffic control and safety improvements.

The email to FAA workers banned them from taking part in "[Advisory and Rulemaking Committees]/[Aerospace Rulemaking Committees] or Federal Advisory Committee (FAC) meetings,” though it went on to emphasize that it was "not the intent to disrupt the committees work, so meetings may continue with [an industry representative]" rather than someone from the FAA.

An anonymous former FAA official argued to Politico that the decision to sideline the agency's participation in these committees was a mistake, saying a "healthy aviation system depends on free and open exchange of ideas and expertise."

"It appears that safety is being forced to take a back seat due to fear of retribution, which means we all lose," the source said.

The email was sent just after a week that saw the first mid-air collision involving a commercial jet in decades, when American Airlines Flight 5342 crashed with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter last Wednesday, killing 67 people as the jet approached the Washington D.C. National Airport. Just days later, a small LearJet crashed in a populated area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania shortly after taking off, killing seven people and injuring nearly two dozen others.

The New York Times reported that staffing at the D.C. airport was "not normal" at the time of the crash, and that one air traffic controller was doing the job of two controllers before the fatal accident. Shortly after Trump began his second term, he dismantled the Aviation Safety Advisory Committee and froze hiring of all open federal positions, including for new air traffic controllers.

Click here to read Politico's report in its entirety.

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