WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration will lose about 33% of its staff as a result of buyouts offered by the Trump administration, well above the 7% figure for the Department of Transportation as a whole, Politico reports.
The news site’s review of data found 4,127 employees took the deferred resignation “fork in the road” offers, out of 56,989 as of early July. The reductions at the FTA cover 249 employees. At the Federal Railroad Administration, 165 employees, or 14%, took the offer, and at the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, 85 employees, or 13.1%.
Other areas of U.S. DOT seeing major decreases are the Federal Highway Administration, where 760 employees, or about 26%, took the buyout, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or 214 people, or 27.8%.
Politico said it received the figures from an employee granted anonymity because the individual is not authorized to speak with the media. Reuters reported similar figures.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last week that no safety-critical employees had been cut, CNBC reports.
We should take some satisfaction from the reduction. A healthier industry is less dependent on government assistance provided by taxpayers, and a stronger contributor to the financial health of our nation, communities, and fellow citizens.