For decades, US officials liked to say the nation’s aviation system was the “gold standard” for safety. A House hearing on Tuesday cast doubt on that assertion.
At the hearing, on problems with the nation’s air traffic control system, lawmakers pressed aviation organizations on aging infrastructure, chronic air traffic controller staffing shortages and what they called a broken hiring process.
Rep. Troy Nehls, chairman of the subcommittee on aviation, pointed out that 105 of the Federal Aviation Administration’s 138 systems are unsustainable or potentially unsustainable.
“For a country that considers itself the gold standard in aviation safety, these numbers are unacceptable, and we must do better,” Nehls, a Texas Republican, said in opening remarks. “While it’s easy to lay blame at the feet of the FAA, and their project management is certainly not blameless, we also have to look at our own shortfalls.”
The questioning comes following a string of US aviation incidents, like the deadly midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, DC, on January 29 and other close calls throughout the country. Relatives of those who died in the January collision were in the audience on Tuesday. Air traffic control’s role in the incidents will be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.
During the hearing, air traffic control experts and officials were asked what Congress can do.
“We are not the gold standard in aviation anymore,” testified Paul Rinaldi, who spent 30 years with the FAA — half as an air traffic controller. He previously led the air traffic controllers union. “We are not even on the world’s podium.”
Last week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy rolled out a new plan to “supercharge” the FAA’s hiring process for air traffic controllers — including a 30% pay bump and streamlining the process.
FAA cuts
Democrats questioned the decision of Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to eliminate some FAA employees.
Rep. Hank Johnson, a Democrat from Georgia, called Musk a “co-president,” a reference to the tech figure’s growing role in US government. DOGE has pushed to shrink the federal workforce with thousands of job cuts throughout agencies.
“I am stunned that co-Presidents Musk and Trump are firing over 500 FAA employees, including those maintaining radar systems and landing equipment, when aviation safety is already at risk,” Johnson said.
After the firings, Duffy posted on social media that “less than 400 (employees) were let go” — all of which were probationary, none of which were critical safety personnel or air traffic controllers, he said.
Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen, the top Democrat in the House aviation subcommittee, called the firings at the FAA “dangerous and unjustified.”
“These firings have consequences,” Cohen said. “There are some who think we should hand over the FAA to a billionaire who’s made so many mistakes in this DOGE program, and he showed he is imperfect, more often than not.”
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, a union representing 10,800 certified controllers across the nation, has warned about staffing shortages for more than a decade.
Last week, Musk said Verizon’s efforts to upgrade the FAA’s air traffic control system were failing and pushed for Starlink — a unit of his satellite and rocket company — to take over.
“Americans are deeply troubled and concerned about how our aviation safety is being compromised by co-President Elon Musk’s glaring conflict of interest,” Johnson added.
Stress for air traffic controllers
The stress of the firings and DOGE’s focus on government workers were talking points among lawmakers on Tuesday. Employees are fielding “accusations” and “negative comments,” said Dave Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, which represents 11,000 FAA and Department of Defense employees.
These staff reductions add to concerns for air traffic controllers, who already face stress and pressure while on the job. Spero said three of the 132 employees his union represents were recalled following the firings. He said these employees’ skillset were needed or it would start a backlog.
“As they begin to pull people out of their positions and we all have to take on more responsibilities every single day, folks wonder how this is going to play out,” Spero said.
“Air traffic controllers deal and have to manage with stress, day in and day out. Anything that adds to that, any uncertainty, is what brings an added risk that has to be evaluated into the system,” added Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
Nehls also said it was “ridiculous” to have hiring and retirement age limits for air traffic controllers. Applicants must be younger than 31 years old and retire by 56 years old. This, he argued, limits the pool of talent.
“I think it’s age discrimination in many, many ways, and I don’t understand why we have it,” Nehls said.
Duffy has supported changing the retirement age.
But Daniels said changing the requirements would not have any immediate impact on the staffing shortage.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the PASS members receiving negative comments. The union does not represent air traffic controllers.
