The Trump government has started firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, just weeks after a fatal mid-air collision at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. 

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In a statement, David Spero, who is the president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, said that in a late-night email on Friday, the probationary workers were notified that they had been fired. 

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"It is shameful to toss aside dedicated public servants who have chosen to work on behalf of their fellow Americans," Spero said. 

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The union said that the firing has impacted workers including systems specialists, safety inspectors, maintenance mechanics, administrative staff and more. 

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"These employees were devoted to their jobs and the safety-critical mission of the FAA. This draconian action will increase the workload and place new responsibilities on a workforce that is already stretched thin," he added. 

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Spero said that the employees were fired "without cause nor based on performance or conduct," and the emails were "from an 'exec order' Microsoft email address" — not a government email address. 

Sean Duffy, who is the Transportation Secretary, said Monday in a post on X that "the FAA alone has a staggering 45,000 employees. Less than 400 were let go, and they were all probationary, meaning they had been hired less than a year ago. Zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go." 

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What happened on January 29?  

On January 29, a passenger plane and a US Army helicopter collided near Washington and plunged into the Potomac River. The officials said that salvage crews recovered the bodies of all 67 people killed. 

Sixty-four people, including four crew members were on the plane during the tragic incident. While three soldiers were aboard the US Army Black Hawk helicopter. There were no survivors. 

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President Donald Trump was quick to blame diversity hiring policies for the accident although no evidence has emerged that they were responsible.

Trump also said the helicopter, which was on a routine training mission, appeared to be flying too high.

(With inputs from agencies)