00:00So, we're roughly a month into Trump's presidency, and arguably the biggest story
00:04so far is how the administration has upended the federal workforce.
00:09Thousands of probationary workers across the federal government have now been fired, along
00:13with top officials and government watchdogs.
00:15Now, this doesn't come as much surprise, right?
00:18The Trump campaign had talked about firing federal workers as part of its push to cut
00:23government spending, and Elon Musk, the billionaire who's in charge of the new Department of Government
00:28Efficiency, or DOGE, has suggested that entire agencies be deleted.
00:33He's likened them to weeds in need of eradication.
00:37And so, several agencies and its employees have been hit hard by this, including the
00:42FAA, which is the Federal Aviation Administration, which is in charge of overseeing flight safety
00:47and air traffic control.
00:49Hundreds of FAA employees were fired over the weekend, even as the agency is dealing
00:53with workforce shortages and continues to face pressure for recent flight incidents.
00:57Now, Department of Transportation officials were quick to downplay the significance of
01:01these latest cuts.
01:03They've said that they primarily affected probationary workers, those who have been
01:07employed in their current positions for less than one or two years, and that the firings
01:11did not include air traffic controllers.
01:13But many employees and the union that represents them are worried that the cuts will compromise
01:18the quality of work that's vital for air safety.
01:21I actually spoke with one of the FAA employees who was let go, and she was part of a team
01:26that built and maintained aeronautical maps that aid pilots and air traffic controllers
01:32with navigation.
01:34And she said that a quarter of her team was laid off.
01:37And so, there's fear that the agency won't be able to function as effectively due to
01:41these cuts.
01:42Now, Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary, said that he intends to overhaul the air traffic
01:48control system with help from a team of engineers from SpaceX, which is Elon Musk's aeronautics
01:54company, whose rocket launches are regulated by the FAA and which currently faces proposed
01:59civil penalties by the agency.
02:01And on Monday, that team visited the FAA's command center in Virginia to, quote, get
02:07a firsthand look at the current system and learn what air traffic controllers like and
02:12dislike about their current tools, according to Duffy.
02:15Now, we're hearing stories like this all across the federal government, not just the FAA.
02:21The Trump administration has ordered most agencies to let go of nearly all probationary
02:27employees who haven't yet gained civil service protection.
02:30And as I wrote for Time last week, many in the federal workforce see these aggressive
02:34cuts as proof that the Trump administration isn't just trying to cut costs, but dismantle
02:40the federal workforce and reduce its capacity to serve the public.
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