The aviation community already is seeing numerous changes in Washington, D.C., under the newly inaugurated Trump Administration, with most new regulations apparently on pause, heads of agencies turning over, and certain initiatives and/or committee activities left in limbo.

Among the presidential actions issued on January 20 was a regulatory review. Under the order from the President, department heads were instructed: “Do not propose or issue any rule in any manner…until a department or agency head appointed or designated by the President after noon on January 20, 2025, reviews and approves the rule” and “Immediately withdraw any rules that have been sent to the [Office of the Federal Register] but not published in the Federal Register, so that they can be reviewed and approved.”

As such, the Federal Register currently only details rescinded actions. For the FAA, the only notice on public inspection was rescinded. That involved “Airspace Designations and Reporting Points: Kenansville, North Carolina.”

While it is unclear at this point how long this process will take, it harkens back to the early days of the first Trump Administration when regulations halted, including key safety actions such as airworthiness directives, for several weeks.

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association noted that it was working to get clarity on the extent of the order and how the review would be managed. "In aviation, the biggest challenge is not to stop rulemaking and other regulatory materials related to the promulgation of safety and technical standards; instead, it is to find ways to enable them in a timely, transparent, and accountable manner to facilitate advances in new technology and enhance U.S. aviation safety, leadership, and competitiveness."

Meanwhile, leadership at key agencies including the FAA and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are turning over with previously announced plans for former FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker to step down ahead of the inauguration and then this week’s firing of TSA Administrator David Pekoske, who was first appointed to the position under the previous Trump Administration in 2017. Currently, no acting TSA administrator or deputy administrator is listed, but selections are believed pending.

Along with Whitaker, Katie Thomson had stepped down as deputy administrator. Mark House, assistant administrator for finance and management and 20-year FAA veteran, was to serve as acting deputy administrator.

In addition, the White House has put a hiring freeze in place, prohibiting the replacement of open government positions or the creation of new ones while the administration evaluates reductions in the workforce. The White House plans to release a memorandum with further guidance within 90 days. This has drawn criticism from lawmakers as the FAA has been ramping up controller hiring.

"The bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 directs the Administration to hire the maximum number of air traffic controllers. That’s what the law says, so the Administration must rescind this ridiculous executive order,” said Rick Larsen (D-Washington), the ranking member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “Hiring air traffic controllers is the number one safety issue according to the entire aviation industry. Instead of working to improve aviation safety and lower costs for hardworking American families, the Administration is choosing to spread bogus DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] claims to justify this decision."

Among the other early White House actions has been the dismantling of the long-standing Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) that was under TSA’s purview. The government/industry advisory group was established in 1989 after the terrorist attack on Pan Am Flight 103 and became a permanent structure in 2014.

ASAC members this week received a letter stating, “I am directing the termination of all current memberships on advisory committees within DHS, effective immediately.” This will halt all ASAC meetings until—or if—the committee is reshaped.

When asked about its plans, a DHS senior official stated: “Effective immediately, the Department of Homeland Security will no longer tolerate any advisory committee which pushes agendas that attempt to undermine its national security mission, the President’s agenda, or Constitutional rights of Americans.”

Along the lines of "DEI" was a directive to the FAA first noting the agency “betrayed its mission by elevating dangerous discrimination over excellence” and directing it to “immediately return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring, as required by law. All so-called DEI initiatives, including all dangerous preferencing policies or practices, shall immediately be rescinded in favor of hiring, promoting, and otherwise treating employees on the basis of individual capability, competence, achievement, and dedication.”

As all of this is happening, aviation organizations and businesses are examining how this is going to affect the industry.