A New York Times report details a testy exchange between the two Trump administration officials.
Sean Duffy and President Trump (Photo: Shutterstock | Joshua Sukoff)
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency reportedly pushed to lay off air traffic controllers days after a slew of high-profile aviation accidents. A Friday New York Times report – citing anonymous sources – detailed an “explosive” Cabinet meeting this week, which included Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Musk.
During the Thursday meeting, Musk locked in on Duffy. The two bickered over aging air traffic control equipment, along with what improvements would be needed.
Duffy blamed Musk’s DOGE staff for attempting to fire controllers. “What am I supposed to do? Mr. Duffy said. I have multiple plane crashes to deal with now, and your people want me to fire air traffic controllers?” the report stated.
Musk called his claims “lies” and asked for names of those who attempted to fire controllers. Duffy took credit for barring the firings.
The report also said that Musk chimed in by saying controllers hired under diversity, equity, and inclusion-related programs were working in Federal Aviation Administration facilities. President Donald Trump ended the discussion, telling Duffy to hire “geniuses” as controllers.
The FAA continues to face a shortage of air traffic controllers. Last month, Duffy announced a multifaceted plan to “supercharge” controller hiring, including an expedited review process and pay bumps. U.S. airlines praised the move, calling it “a critical first step in mitigating the years-long controller shortage.”
While not commenting on the exchange with Musk, Duffy took to X on Friday, calling the Cabinet meeting “productive.” He also doubled down on his support for DOGE.
Thank you @POTUS for hosting another productive Cabinet meeting @WhiteHouse yesterday. It’s difficult to express just what a change it is to have such a fully engaged and in-command businessman at the helm leading our nation.
DOGE is doing incredible work helping agencies…
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) March 7, 2025
“DOGE is doing incredible work helping agencies identify inefficiencies as well as advising us as we work on the critical upgrades to our air traffic control system,” Duffy added. “During the Cabinet meeting, I discussed the importance of safety, particularly at the FAA and with air traffic controllers. The DEI Department at the FAA was eliminated on day 2.”
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