Sean Duffy tries to shift blame for current air disasters onto Pete Buttigieg | EUROtoday

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy tried to shift the blame for a string of current air disasters onto his Democratic predecessor, Pete Buttigieg, within the wake of slicing tons of of Federal Aviation Administration personnel.

Duffy, confirmed to steer the division within the Senate late final month, revealed on Monday that the Trump administration fired “less than 400” of the FAA’s 45,000 staff. He additionally claimed all of them have been serving probationary durations.

The layoffs passed off towards a backdrop of three deadly U.S. air disasters since Donald Trump’s inauguration final month, in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Alaska – with one other business aircraft carrying 80 individuals flipping over upon a crash touchdown at Canada’s Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday.

His response got here after Buttigieg, who served as transportation secretary within the Biden administration, took difficulty with the dismissals and publicly referred to as out Duffy on X on Monday.

“How many FAA personnel were just fired? What positions? And why?,” he wrote.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg asked Sean Duffy why the FAA are making employee cuts with some sectors already understaffed

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg requested Sean Duffy why the FAA are making worker cuts with some sectors already understaffed (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP through Getty Images)

Rather than immediately handle the query, Duffy, a former actuality star and Fox News host, took a swipe at Buttigieg and urged his implementation of outdated gear, laissez-faire management model and so-called “mismanagement” have been responsible for current incidents.

“Mayor Pete failed for four years to address the air traffic controller shortage and upgrade our outdated, World War II-era air traffic control system,” he started his social media rant on Monday night.

He later wrote: “Mayor Pete chose to use this amazing department—that is so critical to America’s success—as a slush fund for the green new scam and environmental justice nonsense. Not to mention that over 90% of the workforce under his leadership were working from home – including him. The building was empty!

“When we finally get a full accounting of his mismanagement, I look forward to hearing from him.”

Duffy mentioned that not one of the FAA employees fired have been air visitors controllers or any “critical staff.”

However, one air visitors controller advised the Associated Press that fired staff included these employed for FAA radar, touchdown, and navigational assist upkeep.

In the case of the D.C. crash, which noticed not one of the 67 individuals aboard an American Airlines jet and Black Hawk navy helicopter survive after they collided above the Potomac River final month, a seemingly overworked air visitors controller was given the job of two individuals, a supply advised The New York Times.

Duffy speaks, pictured in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on January 30, has taken aim at his predecessor over the recent air disasters

Duffy speaks, pictured within the Brady Press Briefing Room on the White House on January 30, has taken intention at his predecessor over the current air disasters (REUTERS)

The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, a union that represents FAA staff, mentioned that “several hundred” staff began getting firing notices on Friday.

David Spero, the union’s chief, mentioned the motion was “unconscionable in the aftermath of three deadly aircraft accidents in the past month.”

The Trump administration has pushed to make large-scale reductions within the federal workforce in a cost-cutting drive led by Elon Musk’s non-official advisory physique, the Department of Government Efficiency.

The lay-offs got here as DOGE visited the FAA’s Air Traffic Control command heart in Warrenton, Virginia, on Monday, because the Trump administration says it hopes to reform the system.

Duffy tweeted on Monday {that a} group from Musk’s aerospace firm SpaceX would additionally go to the command heart to “envision how we can make a new, better, modern and safer system.”

After being probed by journalist and podcast host Jon Favreau about “firing working responsible for air safety,” Musk tweeted: “Please identify which safety personnel were fired and we will bring them back immediately.

“To the best of our knowledge, no one affecting safety has been fired.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/sean-duffy-pete-buttigieg-faa-plane-crashes-b2700001.html