No DOGE Cuts at NTSB, Chair Says

The NTSB currently has 427 employees, said Homendy, who has chaired the safety board since 2021. Its workload includes almost 1,250 active accident investigations in all 50 states, along with Puerto Rico. The agency also supports accident investigations overseas.

“ I will say that we didn't lose one probationary employee. We got hiring exemptions from the administration,” Homendy said during the hearing. 

At the end of 2024, the NTSB had 440 employees, an increase from the “high 300s” when Homendy became chair four years ago. The agency has since lost some employees to retirement and the private sector, of which she says they “could go anywhere and make millions of dollars.”

Homendy continued to state that the NTSB maintains a hiring exemption from the Trump administration, which applies to investigative staff and some technical experts, such as training specialists. 

The Trump administration issued a federal hiring freeze in January with select exemptions for national security and law enforcement.

To get to full staffing, Homendy says the agency would need between 485 and 500 workers. The NTSB has requested more funding for the 2026 fiscal year.

“ We got an exemption from the deferred resignation program,” Homendy said. “We got tremendous support and we continued to get support from the administration, and as a result of the hard work of our workforce. So we have not experienced any of that and I've maintained our workforce.”

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has slashed the government workforce at several agencies, including cuts at the Department of Transportation.

Homendy did not comment on how cuts at DOT could impact the implementation of the NTSB’s safety recommendations.