What was the Biden Administration doing?
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently took aim at former Secretary Pete Buttigieg, criticizing his leadership and management during his time in the Biden administration. Duffy’s comments, made in a post on X, came in response to Buttigieg’s demand for answers about recent personnel changes at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Buttigieg questioned how many FAA employees were terminated, which positions were affected, and why it happened. Duffy was quick to respond, calling out Buttigieg for failing to address long-standing issues with air traffic control during his four years in office. “Buttigieg got four years to fix the air traffic controller issues and update the outdated air traffic control system. In less than four weeks, we have already started the process and are bringing in the best minds from around the world to get it done,” Duffy said.
Duffy further clarified that out of the FAA’s 45,000 employees, only a small fraction of fewer than 400 were let go, and all of them were probationary hires, meaning they had been with the agency for less than a year. He emphasized that no critical air traffic controllers or safety personnel were impacted by the cuts.
The current Transportation Secretary also accused Buttigieg of misusing the Department of Transportation for his own political agendas, particularly the Green New Deal and other environmental initiatives. He criticized Buttigieg for what he described as a widespread telework culture within the department, stating that more than 90% of the workforce worked from home, including Buttigieg himself. “The building was empty,” Duffy added.
Buttigieg, in turn, fired back, claiming that some of Duffy’s allegations were false and demanding more transparency about the impact of the recent firings on air travel safety. As the debate continues, Duffy remains focused on ensuring air travel safety and modernizing the air traffic control system with the help of experts, including engineers from SpaceX, who will visit the Air Traffic Control System Command Center on Monday.
The safety of air travel should be a nonpartisan issue, and Duffy’s collaboration with private sector innovators like SpaceX highlights his commitment to finding practical solutions to longstanding challenges.