Seattle City Wire

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, currently serving in the U.S. Congress representing Washington’s 7th district, shared her views on recent political developments through a series of tweets. Her comments were directed towards actions taken by former President Donald Trump and their implications on federal employment and aviation safety.

On January 31, 2025, Rep. Jayapal criticized former President Trump's decision to freeze hiring for all federal employees on his first day back in office. She highlighted the impact of this decision on air traffic control facilities, which she described as "already dramatically short staffed." Jayapal characterized this move as "incredibly irresponsible." "On Trump’s first day back in office, he froze hiring of all federal employees, including air traffic controllers — even though air traffic control facilities were already dramatically short staffed. This was incredibly irresponsible."

In another tweet posted on the same day, Jayapal accused Trump of deflecting responsibility for a "horrible incident" by blaming it on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives instead of addressing the root causes. She stated that Trump's response demonstrated "zero empathy" and "zero accountability," arguing that Americans deserve more from their president during such tragic times. "Blaming this horrible incident on DEI instead of taking responsibility and vowing to ensure it never happens again is classic Trump."

Further emphasizing her stance on government agencies' staffing needs, Jayapal argued against reducing resources for these entities. Instead, she advocated for expanding them with necessary support. She cited the passage of a significant FAA bill by Democrats in 2024 as an example of strategic investments aimed at enhancing air traffic controller hiring and training to bolster aviation safety. "We shouldn’t be gutting these agencies — we should be expanding them & giving them the resources they need."