Will you sign the petition to demand that our government fully fund the Federal Aviation Administration and staff air traffic controllers?
Dear MoveOn member,
My name is Dwight, and I’m deeply troubled by the state of our Federal Aviation Administration and air traffic controllers. We need to have the best system of air traffic control we can, not the understaffed, overworked, and short-funded system we have today. Roughly 2.9 million people fly our airlines every day, and I’m one of the 90% of Americans who have taken a commercial flight in their lifetime.1,2 Air traffic control is a unique and complex government function that has serious implications for nearly every American. This week’s shocking plane crash in Toronto comes on the heels of last month’s tragic fatal airline crash in Washington, D.C., as well as incidents in Philadelphia, Alaska, and Georgia.3 These incidents must be met with serious and credible scrutiny NOW.
The Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis to Toronto crashed on landing, resulting in multiple injuries, including a child.4 And last month’s crash at the Ronald Reagan National Airport killed 67 people, including a law professor, a new dad, and young aspiring skating champions and their coaches.5 Their families are grieving this senseless and preventable loss. They deserve better than excuses. They deserve compassion, leadership, and answers.
Disturbingly, most of the U.S. air traffic control facilities have been understaffed for years due to government leaders failing to invest in adequate recruitment and staffing.6 Instead of making air traffic control a priority in his second term, Trump froze the hiring of additional air traffic controllers, gutted key air safety protections, and fired FAA leadership. And air traffic controllers were among the federal officials offered buyouts by the Trump administration.7
Lives are on the line. When we neglect air safety protections and fail to maintain a strong air traffic workforce, we all pay the cost.
No more excuses. We deserve to fly with peace of mind knowing that our flight safety systems are invested in and staffed appropriately.
Nearly 90% of our country’s air traffic control facilities fall below the FAA’s recommended staffing levels.8
It’s not just the lack of staffing at the FAA that’s a concern—it’s also its infrastructure. The technology for air traffic control is over a half-decade old and needs updating. A report found that 37% of the FAA’s 138 air traffic control systems “were deemed unsustainable.” And the maintenance, repair, and replacement for these parts is hard to come by and expensive.9
And Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have been proposing to privatize the FAA for years, prioritizing special interests and big airlines over the safety of all travelers.10 So it’s clearly in their interest to defund it and then take advantage of tragedies like the crash outside of D.C. to advance their agenda of turning the FAA from a publicly controlled agency to a private entity to boost profits of the airline industry.
It’s clear: Our airspace and air traffic management systems are in a critical state. Flying is one of the safest modes of transportation. But if we want to keep it that way, we have to address these gaps before we’re met with more tragedy.
We need a real investment in our airspace—ensuring that it is properly staffed and maintained—and that requires this administration making it a priority. We need real leadership, not excuses or impulsive executive orders.
Click here to sign the petition, then share with three friends to help spread the word.
Thanks for all you do.
–Dwight S., MoveOn member
Sources:
1. “Air Traffic By The Numbers,” Federal Aviation Administration, accessed February 5, 2025
https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/by_the_numbers
2. “A Record Number of Americans Have Now Flown Commercially,” Travel Pulse, March 22, 2023
https://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines-airports/a-record-number-of-americans-have-now-flown-commercially
3. “Delta Flight Crashes While Landing In Toronto—What To Know,” Forbes, February 17, 2025
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2025/02/18/delta-flight-crashes-in-toronto-18-passengers-injured-with-no-fatalities-as-cause-of-incident-is-under-investigation/
4. Ibid.
5. “As D.C. plane crash victims are identified, stories emerge of a new dad, a law professor, champion skating coaches and rising stars,” CBS News, February 6, 2025
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dc-plane-crash-victims-stories/
6. “Staffing Was ‘Not Normal’ at Reagan Airport Tower, According to F.A.A. Report,” The New York Times, January 30, 2025
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/business/air-traffic-control-staffing-plane-crash.html
7. “Air traffic controllers were initially offered buyouts and told to consider leaving government,” Associated Press, January 31, 2025
https://apnews.com/article/jet-helicopter-crash-air-traffic-controllers-caee8a1e14eb5d156725581d41e6a809
8. “Over 90% of U.S. airport towers are understaffed, data shows,” CBS News, January 31, 2025
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/over-90-percent-u-s-airport-towers-understaffed-air-traffic-controllers-data-shows/
9. “Some FAA systems are a half-century old, as aging tech suffers from lack of replacement parts and support service,” Fortune, February 1, 2025
https://fortune.com/2025/02/01/faa-tech-system-american-airlines-air-traffic-control-under-staffed/
8. “Trump Announces Plan To Privatize Air Traffic Control,” NPR, June 5, 2017
https://www.npr.org/2017/06/05/531574945/trump-announces-plan-to-privatize-air-traffic-control
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