Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer escalated his attacks on President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Wednesday, suggesting that their efforts to streamline federal agencies—particularly the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)—could lead to more plane crashes. Schumer, speaking from the Senate floor, accused Trump and DOGE of recklessly slashing essential safety personnel in a bid to hand tax breaks to billionaires.
“The more Donald Trump and DOGE indiscriminately hack away at public agencies, the greater harm to Americans’ well-being and even their safety,” Schumer declared. He pointed to recent aviation incidents, including a deadly plane crash near Reagan National Airport, as evidence that staffing cuts were endangering the public.
His remarks came just a day after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, newly confirmed to his post, announced that FAA air traffic controllers would be exempt from buyouts and staffing reductions—a clarification that Schumer seemed to overlook in his speech.
🚨NEW: Chuck Schumer continues attempts to link Trump and DOGE to plane crashes —
— says cuts to FAA endanger safety, so ‘billionaires’ can enrich themselves:
"At a time when incidents in the air and on the runways in and our airports seem to be increasing, why would we cut… pic.twitter.com/fzVLA9ul0q
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) February 19, 2025
The senator’s argument hinges on the idea that Trump’s efficiency-driven restructuring of federal agencies equates to a dismantling of public safety mechanisms. He specifically cited the FAA, claiming that DOGE’s actions had led to the termination of hundreds of workers, including key air safety personnel.
“Firing people whose very job it is to keep air travel safe is nothing short of reckless,” Schumer said. “At a time when incidents in the air and on runways seem to be increasing, why would we cut the very people meant to prevent them? Simple. Donald Trump and DOGE are doing it like they’re doing so much else—so they can help their billionaire buddies with another tax break.”
Schumer’s dire warnings, however, are at odds with the stated goals of DOGE, which has been tasked with reducing bureaucratic waste and inefficiencies without compromising essential services. Transportation Secretary Duffy has explicitly stated that the administration’s efforts to reform the FAA will not impact air traffic control operations, and neither Trump nor DOGE have proposed cuts that would directly jeopardize passenger safety.
The debate over government efficiency versus public safety is a familiar one in Washington, with critics of reform often framing reductions in federal staffing as inherently dangerous. However, Schumer’s claims overlook the longstanding inefficiencies within the FAA, an agency that has faced scrutiny for its sluggish modernization efforts and bloated administrative costs.
While no administration wants to be blamed for a decline in air safety, the question remains whether streamlining government operations can be achieved without the dire consequences Schumer predicts.