General Discussion

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2025-01-22/flurry-white-house-actions-reaching-aviation

Flurry of White House Actions Reaching into Aviation
Regs are on halt, ASAC dismantled, and key agency positions vacant

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While it is unclear at this point how long this process will take, it harkens back to the early days of the first Trump Administration when regulations halted, including key safety actions such as airworthiness directives, for several weeks.

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In addition, the White House has put a hiring freeze in place, prohibiting the replacement of open government positions or the creation of new ones while the administration evaluates reductions in the workforce. The White House plans to release a memorandum with further guidance within 90 days. This has drawn criticism from lawmakers as the FAA has been ramping up controller hiring.
"The bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 directs the Administration to hire the maximum number of air traffic controllers. That’s what the law says, so the Administration must rescind this ridiculous executive order,” said Rick Larsen (D-Washington), the ranking member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “Hiring air traffic controllers is the number one safety issue according to the entire aviation industry. Instead of working to improve aviation safety and lower costs for hardworking American families, the Administration is choosing to spread bogus DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] claims to justify this decision."
Among the other early White House actions has been the dismantling of the long-standing Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) that was under TSA’s purview. The government/industry advisory group was established in 1989 after the terrorist attack on Pan Am Flight 103 and became a permanent structure in 2014.