Officials from Elon Musk’s SpaceX are visiting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced.
In a lengthy post on X, Duffy said the country deserves top-of-the-line air travel and he will comply with President Trump’s order to revamp the industry.
“To do that, I need advice from the brightest minds in America. I’m asking for help from any high-tech American developer or company that is willing to give back to our country,” Duffy said.
Duffy then said employees from SpaceX, Musk’s space technology company, will be visiting the FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Virginia to “get a firsthand look at the current system, learn what air traffic controllers like and dislike about their current roles, and envision how we can make a new, better, modern and safer system.”
Shortly after the deadly crash between a passenger jet and a military aircraft near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Duffy announced that officials from Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), were going to “plug in” and upgrade the country’s aviation system.
Musk also said his advisory board would make “rapid safety upgrades” to air traffic control systems.
In his post Sunday, Duffy called out former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who criticized his earlier remarks about DOGE and the FAA..
“Because I know the media (and Hillary Clinton) will claim Elon’s team is getting special access, let me make clear that the @FAANews regularly gives tours of the command center to both media and companies,” Duffy wrote.
Duffy also said he plans to travel to the FAA Academy in Oklahoma and meet with instructors and students to learn more about their education. The secretary again expressed his desire to work with American companies and developers to upgrade the industry.
“My door at @USDOT is open to any and all patriotic developers or companies who want to help our country in this incredible, game-changing mission,” Duffy concluded. “I hope to hear from any company committed to ushering in America’s golden age of travel.”
His post comes after the Trump administration began firing several hundred FAA employees, just weeks after the fatal crash over the Potomac River. The impacted FAA workers include people hired for radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, The Associated Press reported.
The firings come as DOGE and the Trump administration slash federal jobs to save the country money, upending business-as-usual for thousands of people in various departments and agencies.
Duffy said on Fox News earlier this month that the FAA’s systems were “antiquated” and the administration needed more air traffic controllers.
