Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is demanding answers from the Trump administration on what she said was its decision to fire hundreds of critical Federal Aviation Administration employees, including safety inspectors and maintenance mechanics.
In a news conference with reporters from across the state, including Finger Lakes Daily News, Gillibrand said these firings come amidst longstanding concerns about aviation safety. According to Gillibrand, more than 90% of the country’s air traffic control facilities are understaffed, which in her opinion has contributed to dozens of narrowly avoided accidents at airports around the country. Gillibrand claims at two facilities on Long Island that direct air traffic for Newark, J.F.K. and LaGuardia, nearly 40 percent of positions are unfilled. She believes firing hundreds of additional aviation safety staff will only worsen this crisis and make aviation disasters more likely.
“New York is home to some of the busiest airports in the country. Anything that jeopardizes the safety of the millions of passengers that travel through them each year is unacceptable,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Trump’s reckless firings put us all at risk – the fired employees included technicians who maintain air traffic control infrastructure and help prevent tragic crashes like the one in D.C. last month. I’m demanding answers. The administration must provide comprehensive information about exactly how many workers were fired, what they did, where they worked, and what plan – if any – the administration has to replace them and to keep Americans safe.”
The full text of Senator Gillibrand’s letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is available here
Have all the Finger Lakes news from Finger Lakes News Radio delivered to your email every morning for FREE! Sign up by clicking here
