The Department of Transportation dismissed all the members of its federal advisory committees en masse in an effort to “reconstitute” them with new members.
The department has more than two dozen active federal advisory committees, which are staffed with stakeholders and subject matter experts who weigh in on a variety of DOT actions. The Associated Press first reported the dismissals and the DOT confirmed them to NOTUS.
A DOT spokesperson told NOTUS that many of the committees “have not held a single meeting in over a year, while others have not produced recommendations or advisory reports. Worse, some committees have lost sight of the mission, and have been overrun with individuals whose sole focus is their radical DEI and climate agenda.”
The department, however, added that none of the committees were being permanently disbanded.
“The Department is providing a 30-day window for individuals to apply to or be nominated for appointment to each committee. Upon receiving all applications, the Department will work as quickly as possible to reconstitute these committees so they can return to their important work,” the DOT spokesperson said.
The advisory committees purged by the Trump administration this week include panels on Aviation Rulemaking; Safety, Oversight and Certification; Aviation Noise; Bessie Coleman Women in Aviation; Commercial Space Transportation; NextGen; Research, Engineering and Development; Advanced Aviation; Air Ambulance Quality and Patient Safety; and the National Parks Services Overflights Advisory Group, among others.
The AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department coalition of unions, which represents 38 member unions, confirmed to NOTUS that members of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Railroad Safety Advisory Committee received termination notices on Wednesday.
“The termination of these committees is very concerning as is the lack of a timeline for reconstituting them,” the coalition said in a statement to NOTUS. “If and when RSAC is reconvened, we demand that membership is restored to those labor members who previously held seats to ensure that frontline worker perspectives are not excluded.”
In a redacted termination letter shared with NOTUS, the FRA’s acting administrator, Drew Feeley, notified members of their immediate dismissal while acknowledging their efforts.
“Through your expert insights, collaborative spirit, and unwavering commitment, the Committee has provided outputs that have informed policy and helped advance practical solutions to complex challenges,” the letter reads. “Undoubtably, your role on the RSAC has likely contributed to improved safety in the railroad industry.”
Since President Donald Trump appointed Sean Duffy to lead the Department of Transportation, the agency’s workforce has been reduced by about 2,500 employees, with 4,000 more signed up for the second round of the agency’s deferred resignation program.
It’s not the first advisory group that the administration has purged since Trump has returned to office. On the second day of his term, he also fired the entire membership of the Department of Homeland Security’s Aviation Security Advisory Committee, a congressionally mandated panel that was formed in the aftermath of the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 bombing near Lockerbie, Scotland.
Members of that committee reportedly received a memo that said the move was part of the administration’s “commitment to eliminating the misuse of resources and ensuring that DHS activities prioritize our national security.”