In response to the riot that erupted in the US Capitol, all Trump appointees at the Federal Aviation Administration will resign on January 11, 2021.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief of staff Angela Stubblefield announced that “all our non-career staff members here at FAA”, who were appointed by president Trump, were resigning. “Like all of us, they are outraged by the brazen and violent attack on one of the sacred institutions of American democracy,” read Stubblefield’s email.
The appointees would have left the agency after the inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden on January 20, 2021. However, after the pro-Trump riot that imploded in the US Capitol building in Washington D.C., the staff delivered their resignation earlier as a form of protest.
Those resigning are Arjun Garg, chief counsel and current acting deputy FAA administrator, Brianna Manzelli, assistant administrator for communications, Kirk Shaffer, assistant administrator for Airports, Bailey Edwards, assistant administrator for policy, international affairs and environment, and Andrew Giacini, acting administrator for legislative affairs, reported Reuters.
In a video message to the FAA employees, administrator Steve Dickson condemned the violence of the Capitol riot and addressed the resignation of the staff. Dickson thanked the resigning employees “for their extraordinary leadership in this agency, their steadfast focus on safety and their tremendous support that they have given me.”
A number of the FAA employees decided to step down after the US Transportation secretary Elaine Chao announced her resignation over the riots, effective January 11, 2021. Chao is the highest-ranking member of president Trump’s administration yet to resign.
The US Capitol riots in Washington D.C. erupted on January 6, 2021. Following the unrest, American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) and Delta Air Lines increased safety measures in fear of disruptions on flights due to aggressive passengers.
