Secretary Duffy (00:00):
… out a brand new air traffic control infrastructure system in the country. But that is not today, because the second part of making sure our skies are safe and efficiently being used is what's happening with air traffic control. And in March, we announced an air traffic control supercharge system. How do we get more air traffic controllers to control our airspace? As many of you have reported, we're about 3,000 air traffic controllers short right now. Now, we do have enough air traffic controllers to control the air space, there's a lot of overtime. As Nick would tell you, there's a lot of stress on the controllers so we need more air traffic controllers to come in to this profession.
(00:47)
And so in March, we announced that we're increasing the salaries for those who are admitted in to our academy, our Air Traffic Controller Academy. We increased their salaries by 30%. We also shaved off five months from the hiring process. It was taking way too long. If you applied to be an air traffic controller, it could take over a year before you got a seat in the academy. And a lot of young people would go find a different career instead of waiting so long for their spot into the academy. And so we were able to shorten that timeline. So if you applied, you were able to more quickly go through the process and get in to the Air Traffic Controller Academy. So we've streamlined that process by five months.
(01:31)
And then we've also prioritized the best qualified controllers or those who take the test, the entrance exam. Those who are best qualified got a higher preference to get into the academy. Right now, the washout rate is 35%. By taking in the best and the brightest on the entrance test, we're hoping that we'll be able to reduce that washout rate, get more young people through the academy, trained up, certified, and then in towers. So that's what we announced in March. And we now want to talk about the next phase of where we want to go with air traffic control.
(02:10)
So today we're announcing that we are going to improve this pipeline for new hires into air traffic control. First off, the military, they train up a lot of air traffic controllers. We get a percentage of them that come in to civilian air traffic control. We have a plan to bring in more military air traffic controllers. I don't want them to go take a different job. I want them to come in and continue the skills that they've learned in the military, continue to use those skills in the civilian airspace. We have new opportunities for those military air traffic controllers, a better pathway into the system and a better pathway to pick locations that work for them. So that's going to be important, bringing in more military air traffic controllers.
(03:08)
We're going to provide incentives. So not only do we pay 30% more for those students who go to the academy, when you graduate from the academy and you pass your, it's basically like a bar exam, you pass your exit exam to go into a facility, we're going to give those new graduates a $5,000 bonus. Again, incentivizing them to stick through the process, go through graduation, and then start the work of becoming a certified air traffic controller.
(03:46)
We also want to reward academy graduates that are going to go to harder to fill locations. So one, I don't want to give a hard time to Albuquerque, but a lot of people don't want to go to Albuquerque. I wouldn't mind going to Albuquerque. But if there's harder places to staff up, we're going to give bonuses to controllers that are willing to go to harder staffing locations. Albuquerque might be one. So again, if we can't staff up locations, we're going to give bonuses to those locations to get air traffic controllers to go there.
(04:22)
But I think the most important part of this, again, this is the phase that says, let's get more air traffic controllers in the pipeline, get trained up and get certified. Well, it's going to take us time to do that. All of this is going to take time. But I thought as I was thinking through this, I'm like the key part of the solution is the current air traffic controllers that we have. So we have many air traffic controllers. They're fantastic. They're great at their jobs. They get to an eligible point of retirement, and they take that retirement. And so as this team has thought about, "Well, if we need to get more controllers in our towers, why don't we try to incentivize those really experienced air traffic controllers? Let's incentivize them to stay. Let's get them to stay on. Not only do we have that experience, but they can also help train up those younger, newer controllers coming into their facility."
(05:20)
And so I'm happy to announce that we have struck a deal with NATCA. They've been great partners through this process. And we are going to give a upfront substantial bonus for those controllers who are eligible to retire to actually stay on. And our hope is through this partnership with NATCA and also with our supercharged efforts in the academy… Which by the way, if anyone's watching this and you're young or you're a parent or a grandparent, Nick will tell you, air traffic controllers make really good money. It's a great career. The controllers I've talked to have said, "listen, it is stressful. It's a hard job." Really, well-skilled and qualified men and women do this job. But the controllers I've talked to, they love their job. They love their hours, they love the work they do. They love the effort that they put in, actually helps keep Americans safe, keep planes safe, efficiently use our airspace.
(06:20)
So if you're looking for a great job, not a good job, a great job paying you well over $100,000 very quickly into your certification, air traffic control is a great place. We're looking to hire as we go through this supercharge. So take a look at that, if you will. If you're a young person or if you're a parent or a grandparent, talk to your kids about air traffic control. The academy is about four months in training, and then you're out in a tower and you're making real money. So today, again, we are giving a bonus to keep on our experienced air traffic controllers who are eligible for retirement. And we are supercharging candidates into the academy.
(07:05)
If you're sitting here reporting like Grady is, we're paying people more money, right? A lot of this is incentivizing through dollars. And as you saw, the last administration, we had a lot of inflation. And these financial incentives, we've already seen the benefits of keeping people excited about coming into air traffic control into the academy, and then graduating from the academy and getting into towers. But also, it's important that our controllers who are about to retire, they can go take a second job. Our philosophy is, "well, why not keep them in their current job and give them that bonus to stay?" And I think we're going to see a real benefit to the airspace.
(07:46)
And so again, this is the phase of air traffic controllers. Next week we're going to talk about the infrastructure on the airspace. And with that, I'd like to turn it over to a guy who has done just a fantastic job at the FAA. He's been a wonderful partner of mine, so knowledgeable, so insightful, and so important as we've negotiated and worked on this plan, the Acting Administrator of the FAA, Chris Rocheleau.
Chris Rocheleau (08:16):
Thank you, sir. So thank you, Mr. Secretary, and thank you Nick for being here today for the opportunity to talk about what we're doing to strengthen our workforce and ensure the safety of the American flying public. First, I want to again thank President Trump and Secretary Duffy for placing their trust in me to run the FAA at this time. I also want to thank Secretary Duffy for his strong leadership and for tackling this longstanding challenge. I'm grateful that he's made the FAA at the top of his list, to make sure we get the resources and provide the safest, most efficient transportation aviation system in the world. Secretary Duffy knows we need more safety professionals to strengthen our ranks to keep aviation flying high.
(09:07)
But I'm most grateful today for our FAA employees, their work day in and day out, supporting everything from aviation safety to airports, to air traffic control, and commercial space. It's their commitment to the mission and to the flying public that helps keep our skies safe. I'm immensely proud to work alongside these dedicated professionals. With the Secretary's help, we are taking quick and decisive action in solving the nation's air traffic controller shortage. We've reduced hiring bottlenecks, increased the salaries of those who graduate from the academy, and prioritized those top-scoring academy candidates, to make sure we recruit and train the best and the brightest to join the FAA team.
(09:56)
And by streamlining the hiring and cutting the red tape, we've shaved months, as the Secretary mentioned, off the old process. The Secretary's supercharge hiring initiative is working. Less than 45 days After the recent announcement closed, one of the first applicants already has an academy start date next month. The outstanding work by our team to accelerate this process is a clear sign that this administration is leading in a profound way to transform our aviation system. Today, we're doubling down and offering new incentives for veteran military controllers, hiring more academy instructors, and offering extra help and innovative learning strategies for academy students. These efforts will get new air traffic controllers to the job much faster and keep our flying public safe. The work we do at the FAA isn't always easy, but it's vitally important to our nation. And again, I'm proud to work alongside such a dedicated
Chris Rocheleau (11:00):
… and talented workforce. Together we're building a stronger, safer, more efficient, and more innovative FAA. Thanks. Nick, turn it over to you.
Nick Daniels (11:12):
Thank you, sir.
Chris Rocheleau (11:12):
Yes, sir.
Nick Daniels (11:14):
Thank you, Secretary. Thank you. Acting Administrator Rocheleau. And good morning. Today is an important step forward in addressing the ongoing staffing shortages across the National Airspace System. This new recruitment award and retention incentive program is not just a policy. This is a commitment to the dedicated men and women keeping our skies safe. It's a real tangible move towards building and sustaining the workforce that America needs. We thank Secretary Duffy and Acting Administrator Rocheleau for their leadership and standing behind this profession. Their commitment to hiring, training and then retaining the best and the brightest is exactly what this moment calls for. This is progress, but we know that staffing is one part of the bigger picture. Our air traffic control system also urgently needs technology upgrades and infrastructure improvements. These are long-standing challenges that we can no longer have delayed. The hardworking men and women who operate the United States Aviation System deserve the most modern and most effective tools to ensure that they reduce risk and increase safety. Secretary Duffy has made it clear that tackling these issues is a top priority, and NACA stands ready to work with him, the Department of Transportation, the FAA, Congress, and all of the stakeholders to build a world-class aviation air traffic control system that the American people need and that the American people deserve. So, thank you.
Secretary Duffy (12:52):
Appreciate it.
Nick Daniels (12:52):
Absolutely. Thank you, sir.
Secretary Duffy (12:54):
If you have any questions for us, we're happy to take questions now. Yes.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Yesterday, during the reconciliation process, the House Transportation Committee and its package included 12.5 billion for air traffic control upgrades that you envisioned, calling it a down payment. Is that 12.5 billion enough to fully fund your plan that's been under review at OMB, or are you going to request additional money from Congress?
Secretary Duffy (13:17):
Yeah. So, I appreciate the question. We're going to have a broader press conference next week on what that plan looks like, but Congressman Graves has been fantastic in his leadership, understanding the problems that we face, looking for resources, available to help fund what is sorely needed. I mean, we're 25, 30 years behind the curve on building a brand new system. So again, we'll talk about that next week. But I just want to say I appreciate his work and effort in putting a focus on this critical need for American infrastructure.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Just to clarify, is this announcement today part of the plan that OMB has been reviewing, or is it totally separate ball game?
Secretary Duffy (14:03):
The plan that we're talking about today, the increase in the bonus for air traffic controllers, the new money going to the academy, to the graduates, this is all money that we currently have in our budget. So, OMB is looking at the plan. By the way, the announcement next week, I've already had a conversation, as you could tell yesterday from the cabinet meeting, I've had a conversation with the president. I've laid out our ideas for a brand new air traffic control system, which by the way, the president, it's great to have leadership from the top. Before DCA, before he gave me this job, I've heard him for years talk about the problems within the American system and how he wants to fix it and, again, keep it the best in the world. And so his leadership and support has been critical as we've gone through this process. And I think with his leadership as well, we're going to get the support that we need from Congress. Yeah.
Will Guisbond (15:02):
Yeah. Will Guisbond, The Air Current. Yesterday, during the cabinet meeting, President Trump said that he was specifically looking into awarding just one contractor to do all of that modernization, including infrastructure side. Curious if you could talk about if that's something that you guys are considering, knowing that the agency, in the past, has said that it would take multiple companies, multiple technologies to do that work.
Secretary Duffy (15:24):
So again, we're going to have a press conference next week on this very issue. We're talking about air traffic controllers. Again, there's two parts to this. You need a system that is truly the envy of the world, it has to be rebuilt, but you also need great staff, well-trained best and brightest staff in our towers controlling the airspace, which is what we're talking about today. But, just, I will make one quick comment. I think what the president was talking about is if you think about construction, you might have a project manager or a general contractor. They don't do all the work. They have subs, those who have expertise in different components of a construction project. I think he thinks about this project similar to many of the construction projects that he's been involved in. So, yes.
Pete Muntean (16:15):
Pete Muntean with CNN. It seems that the issues have been particularly acute for air traffic control in Newark. And on Monday, there were staffing issues and equipment issues. I just looked now. There's a five-hour delay on average for flights going to Newark right now. They're calling out staffing and other equipment issues. Can you speak to the nature of the staffing issues, and can you talk about how the announcement today will get at that? And then, also, what needs to be done to fix the equipment there? What's the nature of the problem?
Secretary Duffy (16:43):
So, there's a number of issues at play, and not surprised by your question. Maybe, Chris, do you want to take that?
Chris Rocheleau (16:51):
Sure. Happy to. Thank you, and thanks, Pete, for the question. So clearly, this goes directly to what the secretary is talking about and why we're here today. We're focused on the technology piece of this and the staffing piece. So, both of those go together. And when we talk about Newark specifically and the outage or the interruption, we want to make sure that equipment is solid for the controllers that are coming to work every day so that they can depend on that equipment and making sure they're properly trained. Now, related to this specific incident, we have a team up there right now. They're doing an ongoing investigation in terms of the technology, the interruption itself. But again, at the end of the day, we need to make sure the controllers have the proper equipment and that they're obviously appropriately staffed.
Secretary Duffy (17:37):
All right. And I would just note that when there's issues, you see delays, you see cancellations. Our airspace is safe because if there are issues, we don't fly. And that's why we can confidently say this is the safest mode of travel. But again, the disruption, canceled flights or delayed flights, people get angry, they get annoyed, they get frustrated and rightfully so. But what I think you're seeing is you're starting to see cracks in the system, and you can see them in different locations. And it's our job, all of us working together, to not wait until there's a disaster. It's our job to actually see over the horizon what the issues are and fix it before there is an incident that we will seriously regret. And that's why we're here today, again, looking over the horizon.
Pete Muntean (18:34):
How long before you can turn the ship around here quickly? Because I know some of the forecasts have been hiring 3,000 controllers could take 10, 15, 20 years.
Secretary Duffy (18:43):
So, quickly in this space, this is not quick. But on the controller front, if this works as planned, I'm hopeful. And Nick and I, with Chris, we're hoping in three to four years we can get to full staffing. Not 20 years. But again, it is a thoughtful, concerted effort to go, " How do you make up the gap?" And we can't snap our fingers to make up the numbers, but it's the thoughtful work that goes in to say, I'm happy that at this moment, this team thought about solutions. So, in a year and a half, you're seeing real results. Three years, four years, you're seeing full staffing.
(19:23)
And also, as we build this brand new system, you can't do that overnight as well. That's going to take time to do it methodically. We're going to learn as we go, probably with smaller facilities, not the larger facilities. And again, we're still flying planes, landing planes, controlling airspace. And again, the complication of this is probably one of the reasons why it was never done, right? And so complication, difficulty can't be our reason why we don't take action now and we pass it off to the next administration, because that would be a dereliction of duty. Ray?
Ray (20:01):
For the incentives, how long do you expect them to stay in place?
Secretary Duffy (20:06):
For our retirement eligible air traffic controllers?
Ray (20:10):
That as well as the bonuses.
Secretary Duffy (20:12):
Listen, this is temporary. So, do I see us needing this for 10 years? No, but for several years, yeah. I think we're going to incentivize these controllers to stay on. And again, it's a nice bump of money that they're going to get. In the academy, I think the structural changes that we're making there are going to allow us to… Again, the washout rate is important. Again, for example, in the last fiscal year, there was 1,800 students that went to the academy. There was a washout rate of 35%. So, they only actually graduated 1,100 young people from the academy. So, it's not just getting more butts in seats and thinking about how you staff it. It's also making sure you get the best people, the best qualified, so you reduce that washout rate. So, the net number increases dramatically out of the academy in addition to NACA bringing more of their people online to stay longer.
Ray (21:20):
And then you just kind of touched on this, but obviously, this is not a new problem. It's something that the previous administration was also trying to address. What do you think this administration is doing differently that could help you close the gap that they weren't able to do before you?
Secretary Duffy (21:34):
So, what I've mentioned. Recognizing the problem and addressing the problem, not running from the problem is key. And so on improving the timeline, again, if you're 24 years old, and you want to be an air traffic controller, and you don't hear back for a year, and you can't get a slot for two years from the date at which you applied, you're almost guaranteed you're going to go do something
Secretary Duffy (22:00):
… now. So you're going to find a different career. That we're able to streamline the timeframe in which you apply to the timeframe in which you get in to the academy. That is critical. And also what we've done is we are taking the best qualified, so those who scored the best on the test. So if I have someone who scored 98 on the entrance exam compared to someone who scored 82, we're going to put the 98 into the academy, give them a seat before the 82 test score, and we think that's going to be key.
(22:32)
One point I didn't mention, and this is when I was at Oklahoma City, some of the students brought this up, they said, "If you would help us with even some tutoring, if we need some extra assistance, if there's one component that we didn't get, if you could offer some assistance in tutoring, that would go a long way to making sure we're successful and staying in the program." So that's part of this plan as well. It's like, "Do I have tutors in the library?" If you want to get some additional help on a portion of a class that you maybe didn't understand, instead of just shrugging your shoulders and letting that student wash out, well, let's give them some extra support and see if we can save them and get them to graduate and get them to join Nick's Union. Yeah.
Tom Costello (23:12):
Mr. Secretary, Tom Costello with NBC News, and I was with you at the academy a few months ago. There's a mandatory retirement age for controllers of 56. Have you considered readdressing that, potentially raising that retirement age? But also you said that we're starting to see cracks in the system as it relates to Newark Airport and we're heading into a busy summer travel season. Are these cracks in the system going to be manifesting themselves throughout the entire summer? I would tell you, we also have heard that some of the problems that Newark also deal with controllers upset and simply we're saying they're too stressed out to work. So how much do you have a morale problem at Newark and Philly because you moved control space down to Philly, but then in addition, are we seeing cracks in the system that will last all summer and could impact summer travel season?
Secretary Duffy (24:00):
Is that like one question with six parts?
Tom Costello (24:03):
It's all at one. We only ask as many as we can.
Secretary Duffy (24:06):
So the first one is a really good question. So the mandatory retirement age is 56. I have the ability to grant an extension of that age if the controller gets a physical. But what you would note, and Nick was very astute to make this point to me, many of the controllers are retiring before the age of 56, so they can retire at… I think the average age is if I'm right, 53, 52, somewhere in there. So we're out of the game at 56, which is why I've gone to Nick and said, "How do we get those controllers at 52 and 53 and 54 to get them to stay on?
(24:47)
What kind of incentive can I give them in the form of a bonus to continue on and be able to stay another year, another two years?" And as they stay longer and we're going to close this gap. And it's a patriotic move by the union and by the controllers, our hope is that many of them will take us up on this and continue to serve the American people. In regard to the controllers up at Newark, maybe I'll let, if Nick wants to address that, you can talk about it.
Nick Daniels (25:23):
Absolutely. I think this is a pivotal moment of seeing what the stresses and pressures of this career path are, and that is being recognized by this administration. That's why we're eager to continue working together on it is finding the solutions to these issues. And that is the need, as we spoke about for modernization as well, getting reliable equipment to the dedicated men and women that are frustrated when things aren't going right. But we do have to reduce capacity and ensure that we're managing the risk in the system in order to keep the levels of safety that the American people deserve. So yes, every day that we take another investment that we find another way to go out and modernize this system. It is overdue, it's absolutely needed, and will put us in a position to ensure that your flight departs on time, arrives on time and is handled by the most professional workforce in the entire world.
Secretary Duffy (26:14):
And maybe just one other point on that, what you're going to see next week is a massive swath of unions to industry supportive of what we want to do. If any of you who follow Congress, there isn't a whole lot of bipartisanship at this point in Congress. Listen, Democrats and Republicans, House members and Senators, there's a wide agreement that this has to be addressed. Again, there's always conversations about funding that's for the Congress. We're laying out what we need to make sure this system is the best and continues to serve the American people. Yeah.
David Shepardson (27:01):
David Shepardson from Reuters. Two questions I want to ask about DCA and New York City. So the major airlines have asked you to extend the slot waiver for the two years through 2027. Given staffing issues, are you going to do that, sir?
Secretary Duffy (27:14):
Do you want to answer that question?
Chris Rocheleau (27:17):
Sure. I mean, I think the short answer to that is we have the request. We're working that within the department, both, as you probably are aware, a piece of that has to do with the FAA and the air traffic organization specifically along with the department, the Office of Secretary of Transportation. So we're working through that. It certainly is being strongly considered, but I don't think we've come to a final decision on that.
David Shepardson (27:41):
And I'm stressed at DCA. You replaced some of the managers. There are some concerns about if the rate is too high, especially in the second half of the hour. There was a fistfight between two controllers. There was another incident recently involving a Delta plane that departed and came close to some Air Force jets that were doing a ceremonial flyover of Arlington. How have you addressed safety concerns at DCA and what else do you need to do to make sure those controllers are under too much stress?
Chris Rocheleau (28:07):
Yeah. I appreciate the question. So clearly, as you may remember, we took very quick action to make sure we reduced the complexity of that airspace immediately after the midair. And since that time, we've been working closely with the controllers with management, not to mention the operators within the system to ensure that we maintain that safety, that level of a safe approach, the clear airspace going forward. I personally have visited, Nick and I both went to DCA Tower to talk to the people, to talk to the management, to talk to the controllers, to understand what they're going through right now. And I believe we have a very strong plan in place as we consider particularly operations right now and through the summer.
David Shepardson (28:52):
Just briefly, you just made some changes at Las Vegas Airport after a review showed safety concerns involving helicopters. Have you found any other concerns about helicopters at other airports are taking any other changes?
Chris Rocheleau (29:03):
That's a great question because as you are likely aware, we have had this ongoing review of airspace throughout the nation. It's very important that as we find these areas that we need to act quickly on, such as Las Vegas, we're taking that action immediately. We're not done with that by any stretch. We will continue to work through the system to identify those areas and ensure that we put mitigations in place where we identify those risks.
Nick Daniels (29:32):
I just wanted to highlight one of the points the acting administrator made there. You're seeing these different impacts at different airports because of our need to get to a modernization package, and as we've been talking here today about recruiting and retaining the air traffic controllers that we have. 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, 4 days off a month, the dedicated men and women are out there. The American workers are out there ensuring the safety of this system and this administration is why we're eager to make the changes that we've been talking about for over a decade.
(30:05)
This isn't something that happened overnight, and it's not going to be a snap of the finger and one answer that's going to get us out of it tomorrow. It's going to take this relationship and the commitment to these ongoing efforts, and we'll tackle them one by one as they continue to come up. For DCA alone, we probably have 15 different plans in action together that we have mutually agreed on. And it doesn't mean that fixes everything. It's another step in the right direction to making sure the American people have the system that they deserve.
Secretary Duffy (30:34):
Just real quick on that, after DCA Administrator Rushlow, was dogged on the point of where else do we have points of conflict that have to be addressed? There were 85 very close near misses at DCA in the four years before this crash. Where else was that happening? Let's use every tool we have to identify those airspaces, which is what he's done and the FAA has not done yet, but that's important. And someone to ask the question about the summer. Maybe it was your question about what's going to happen this summer.
(31:11)
Again, people have seen it takes longer to fly. There are more delays and there is much more frustration. This didn't happen on January 20th. That's not when the date of crisis in the airspace happened. It's been going on for years if not decades. It's just that you have a team that's willing to stand before you, and tell you the truth about what we have and what we need to make it right and what we're going to need from Congress to make it right. That's what we're doing is leveling with the American people because all of you fly, all of your families fly, and we owe it to you to level with you and with the Congress and with the administration to say, let's make the American story very different than what it could be if we didn't take action. Yes.
Sara Hulse (31:59):
Sara Hulse with CBS.
Secretary Duffy (32:01):
Hi, Sarah.
Sara Hulse (32:02):
You just touched on summer travel. I just have a quick follow up to that. Obviously these changes, like you said, are going to take a bit. It's not going to happen overnight. We are heading into Memorial Day weekend, is the current system up to the challenge? Some of these incidents have raised some concerns that they could not be.
Secretary Duffy (32:18):
I would just say yes, it is. So again, you see when there's issues in the airspace, it gets shut down or traffic gets reduced and then there's delays or there's cancellations, but the primary mission is safety. That's what we do here. So if it's not safe, Administrator Rushlow will shut it down. Air traffic controllers… You guys responds to me. Anybody else?
Speaker 2 (32:43):
We are [inaudible 00:32:43] you guys.
Secretary Duffy (32:44):
Sorry about that. But also air traffic controllers, same way. We'll say, "Listen, this is too much." We have safety mechanisms throughout the whole system that make sure safety is paramount, but can you have more delays? Yeah.
Secretary Duffy (33:00):
We're seeing more delays, which is also why, I mean, this is a huge part of our economy. Again, it's safety. If you make it more efficient, also you have great rewards for economic activity as well. Yeah. I didn't get you yet.
Speaker 3 (33:16):
Hi, Alison Verspell from Bloomberg News. I believe earlier you said hopefully by three to four years we'll have full staffing. Is there a specific target in mind though for when air traffic control will be fully staffed, when it's possible considering retirements as well?
Secretary Duffy (33:32):
So there's variables in there. I can't give you an exact number, right? So how many air traffic controllers who are eligible for retirement actually take our offer and stay? I hope it's going to be huge. And you saw Nick is very compelling. He's going to sell his controllers that they should stick with us and stay with us. How effective are we in dropping that washout rate at the academy? And again, it takes one to three years to train up those new controllers. We're reforming, not the way we instruct, but how we're using our controllers at the academy. We're going to rejigger how that works. That'll allow us more capacity. And again, that implementation, I don't have the numbers. I feel like that's what I've been saying three to four years. But the plan we have in place I think is well positioned to allow us to hit those numbers. Back there.
Speaker 4 (34:28):
Hi, Nathan Algeren with the Associated Press. This is a question for the acting administrator [inaudible 00:34:34]. Can you talk about how the FAA may be impacted by the Deferred Resignation program and are there any other job cuts at the agency and including air traffic controllers?
Chris Rocheleau (34:48):
Yeah, it's a fair question. There's certainly been some attention to that. But let me just start by saying we have an incredibly resilient workforce. It's such a pleasure to be back working with these people side by side. As some of you know, I was away from the department and the FAA for a while. I've been back with the leadership team with the frontline workforce, and they are resilient. They are motivated, they care about what they do, and they're coming to work every day to do exactly that to ensure the safety of the flying public. So we do have people coming and going and it is certainly one of those that we're working through to mitigate any impacts. But right now, we're very proud of the people we have in place. And like the secretary has talked about the best and the brightest of their work every day to make sure that the American traveling public are doing that safely.
Speaker 4 (35:40):
And I know there can be, or was talked about some exemptions for air traffic controllers under the DRP. Have any controllers still resigned even if they were exempt?
Chris Rocheleau (35:49):
Yeah, that's a great question too because as you may be aware, we've never stopped hiring controllers, safety inspectors and engineers. That has continued since day one that we came on board. Certainly as we look at DRP, controllers are not eligible for that. There are a number of those safety categories that we continue to hire for. So right now, as Nick and I have talked about a number of times, we're wanting to bring new people into that workforce and obviously retain the people that we have.
Secretary Duffy (36:22):
Safety critical positions are exempt. We're hiring more people into those safety positions, to the acting administrator's point, air traffic controllers. We are trying to hire more. We're not, I'm sorry if Nick wants any of his guys to be able to take it, they can't. They're sticking with us.
Speaker 5 (36:39):
Laurie Aratony, from the Washington Post. You mentioned the military, the controllers can be military. Can you talk a little bit about how that would work, how they would come into the system? What their training might be like, and do you have any idea how many numbers of them there could be?
Secretary Duffy (36:52):
We used to get more military controllers, and I think we have to listen to why we're not getting the same numbers we did in the past. And when we hear them out, are there things we can do that allow them when they're going to retire from the military, that they find us to be a good home? And if we listen to those who don't come to us and then make the necessary changes within our structure, I think that's a key point to bringing more of them into the FAA, into air traffic control.
Speaker 5 (37:26):
So any idea how many, what the number could be, how many more you might need.
Secretary Duffy (37:30):
I had that number, but I don't have it in front of me.
Speaker 6 (37:32):
We'll give you one.
Secretary Duffy (37:33):
Yeah. But we get more than one brief, but we could follow up with the number for you on that.
Speaker 6 (37:38):
Yeah, we've got time for one more guys. Sorry.
Speaker 7 (37:41):
All right. Yeah, thanks. Just one kind of follow up question. So it sounds like a lot of the workforce shifts here that you're talking about are really aimed at those you hire to go into the academy. Curious if you could talk a little bit about the existing workforce. So those folks who are already certified. Do you see any sort of retention issues there? Do you have plans for future bonuses or sort of retention efforts on that as well?
Secretary Duffy (38:06):
Well, I believe that NACA and the FAA just signed a contract in December, November. A new contract was signed. This is in addition to the new contract they did in the last administration. And I think the biggest issue that we've seen, again, there are more stressful jobs. These professions, these controllers are well-trained and they get paid really well for the work that they do. And that's why the breaking point for us was can we keep those experienced controllers at the age of retirement to stay on, whether it's a year or two years or three years longer? That's where we can make up the greatest ground, which is why we've come out with this proposal today.
(38:46)
And so if you think about it, we have the inputs, we're improving that at the academy and at the end of the cycle, trying to keep more of those experienced controllers with us longer. And those two things together are what I think are going to bridge the gap to get us to a place where we're getting 3000 additional controllers to serve the American people. I'll do one more question. You had one in back and then we'll….
Speaker 1 (39:08):
I wanted to follow up on that. Sorry, I didn't identify myself earlier. Sam Gaza Politico. Following up on-
Secretary Duffy (39:13):
You seemed so eager, so I thought, well, one more.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
No, I had to get it in.
Secretary Duffy (39:17):
I hope it's a good question.
Speaker 1 (39:18):
Following up on the DRP, is DOT planning to conduct their reduction force this month? And if so, how many people are going to be laid off?
Secretary Duffy (39:26):
So stay tuned as we go through our plans on how we're going to deal with staffing at DOT. I'm sure you'll get our press release and be able to report on it. But this point has been made clear by the president that we want to do the job that meets the goals that's been set for us by the Congress, but also the expectations that the American people have for us.
(39:58)
And I was at the Philly Shipyard Monday, I think I was there Monday. And some people are concerned about we're losing people from the department. And the point is, this is not an employment agency. That's not what we're here for. We're here to build infrastructure in America. And if I'm able to do the same job with less people in this department, that means that I have more money for the roads and bridges that all Republicans and Democrats want in their district. I get calls all day long, they all want this infrastructure. I'll have more money to build a brand new air traffic control system. I'll have more money to help with the bonus for air traffic controllers. I'll have more money for rail and pipelines and ports, all the things we do here. If I can do it more efficiently, the money doesn't evaporate. It's actually more money that I get to put into projects.
(40:51)
Which is why in the end, when Congress passed their legislation for infrastructure, they debated a lot of requirements that we should have. And when we spend money, how we spend money, and they actually took those out. So I've complied with Congress to say, we're not going to put all these green requirements in our notice of funding opportunities. We're not going to make all these greener social justice requirements, which means that we can build these projects for less money." And then if we staff here with less people, a more efficient team, that means that you get more projects done, which is what we should be doing in America. And so that's the president's vision. How much can we build big, beautiful infrastructure, big and beautiful with the appropriate amount of money? And so that is the focus. It's not about letting people go. It's about getting us to a workforce that can do the job to serve the American people, accomplish the mission and do it effectively. The extra money we have goes back into projects that America wants us to spend money on. And so with that, thank you all for coming out. I appreciate it.
Speaker 7 (42:04):
Can you say one thing about the real ID implementation? Are you monitoring that at all? Are you concerned about people not getting their IDs?
Secretary Duffy (42:09):
That's for Kristi. No.
Speaker 7 (42:11):
I know, but even still.
Secretary Duffy (42:13):
Thank you guys.
