President Donald Trump’s administration recently removed the Democratic vice chair of the National Transportation Safety Board.
A White House official told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that Alvin Brown had been removed from the board.
‘We’re going to build a brand-new air traffic control system.’
Brown was appointed to the five-person safety panel by former President Joe Biden in December 2024, after the November presidential election and just weeks before Trump’s inauguration.
An internet archive shows that Brown was removed from the NTSB’s website sometime after May 1. The now-removed webpage stated that Brown had served as a board member since March 2024 and as a senior adviser for the Department of Transportation’s Community Infrastructure Opportunities since August 2022. Brown served as the mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, from 2011 to 2015.
“Brown began his career as a senior member of the White House leadership team under President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore. As Vice President Al Gore’s Senior Advisor for Urban Policy, and Vice Chair of the White House Community Empowerment Board, he advised President Clinton and Vice President Gore on a wide range of domestic issues, including community revitalization, job creation, new business development, and affordable housing,” the website previously read. “As Executive Director of the White House Community Empowerment Board, Brown led the Administration’s $4 billion community empowerment initiatives, including the Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community programs.”
The NTSB’s website now lists only four members: Chairman Jennifer Homendy and members Michael Graham, Thomas Chapman, and J. Todd Inman.
Jeff Guzzetti, a former NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration investigator, told WBAL that he has never seen a president remove a board member. It is typical for members to remain on the board past their five-year term when an administration has not selected a replacement.
“That happens a lot over the years, but that’s normal and expected because you served your term and now it’s time for someone else to serve in there,” Guzzetti said. “But this wasn’t that. This was just more abrupt and directly from the administration, and I don’t know what the impetus is.”
While the White House did not provide a reason for Brown’s termination, Trump has previously commented on independent agency’s lack of oversight and slow aviation investigations, which may have influenced the recent NTSB shake-up.
In February, Trump signed an executive order to ensure more accountability within federal agencies.
A White House fact sheet detailed the “reining in” of several independent agencies. However, it did not specifically name the NTSB, an independent government agency tasked with investigating transportation accidents.
“So-called independent agencies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have exercised enormous power over the American people without Presidential oversight,” it read.
Following the January aviation disaster at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that resulted in the deaths of 67 people, Trump appeared to slam the federal government for historically slow investigations.
During a press briefing, he stated, “We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas, and I think we’ll probably state those opinions now because, over the years, I’ve watched as things like this happen and they say, ‘Well, we’re always investigating.’ And then the investigation, three years later, they announce it.”
Earlier this week, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy told Fox News that the administration will “radically transform the way air traffic control looks.”
“We’re going to build a brand-new air traffic control system,” he added.
Duffy stated that the Trump administration will unveil the details of its plans on Thursday.
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