Current Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and former Secretary Pete Buttigieg have engaged in a public dispute over the performance of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as reported by Fox News. The exchange unfolded on social media platform X, with Duffy accusing Buttigieg of “mismanagement” during his tenure.
The disagreement began when Buttigieg questioned recent personnel changes at the FAA, asking, “How many FAA personnel were just fired? What positions? And why?” Duffy responded sharply, criticizing Buttigieg’s record. “Mayor Pete failed for four years to address the air traffic controller shortage and upgrade our outdated, World War II-era air traffic control system,” Duffy stated in his post on X. He further claimed that his administration had “already begun the process and are engaging the smartest minds in the entire world” to address these issues within a month of taking office.
Duffy elaborated on his criticism, asserting that while the FAA has 45,000 employees, less than 400 probationary employees, who had been hired within the last year, were let go. He emphasized that “Zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go.” Duffy accused Buttigieg of using the Department of Transportation “as a slush fund for the green new scam and environmental justice nonsense.” He also made claims about the DOT workforce, alleging that “over 90% of the workforce under his leadership were working from home – including him. The building was empty!”
Buttigieg countered Duffy’s accusations, directly addressing the telework claim as “demonstrably false.” He questioned the rationale behind the recent FAA personnel departures, asking, “Is the Secretary claiming, and will he show, that none of the hundreds of FAA personnel he just fired were important to safety?” The exchange highlights the ongoing scrutiny of aviation safety and infrastructure under both administrations.
Further emphasizing efforts to improve air traffic control, Duffy mentioned that SpaceX engineers would be visiting the Air Traffic Control System Command Center. Elon Musk, responding to Duffy’s announcement, affirmed the non-partisan nature of air travel safety, stating, “The safety of air travel is a non-partisan matter. SpaceX engineers will help make air travel safer.”
This public back-and-forth between the current and former Transportation Secretaries, as reported by Fox News, underscores the political dimensions of transportation policy and the continued focus on ensuring the safety and efficiency of air travel.
