Don't Cut FAA Workers Act of 2025
The Don't Cut FAA Workers Act of 2025 would add a new provision to title 49 of the U.S. Code prohibiting mass layoffs at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for 12 months following a major aviation accident. The FAA would be barred from carrying out or facilitating mass layoffs unless Congress approves the layoff via a joint resolution within 60 days of the notification. The bill defines what counts as a mass layoff and specifies how to calculate the affected workforce, including remote workers tied to a site. It also defines key terms such as “major aviation accident,” “aircraft accident,” and “fatal aviation injury.” In effect, the bill would increase congressional oversight and require explicit approval before significant FAA workforce reductions could occur after a serious aviation incident.
Key Points
- 1Amends title 49 U.S. Code to add a new section (40133) imposing a 1-year limitation on mass layoffs in the FAA after a major aviation accident, with an exception only if Congress approves via a joint resolution.
- 2Requires the FAA Administrator to notify Congress of planned mass layoffs, including the number and type of employees proposed to be laid off, before they occur.
- 3Allows Congress to block or permit the layoff if a joint resolution approving the layoff is enacted within 60 days of the notification.
- 4Defines “mass layoff” as either (A) 10 or more employees at a single site within 90 days, or (B) 250 or more employees in the FAA overall, with a calculation that includes remote workers connected to the site.
- 5Expands the definition to include remote employees who are assigned to or associated with the site and whose layoff would be a foreseeable consequence of the site’s reduction in force.
- 6Defines “major aviation accident” as an aircraft accident with fatal aviation injury, and clarifies terms for “aircraft accident” and “fatal aviation injury” (death within 30 days of the accident).