Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told DOT staff Tuesday that at least some FAA employees will be moving from their offices at 800 Independence to the DOT’s headquarters at the Navy Yard. Duffy said the iconic FAA building, in a prime location on the Mall, is in disrepair with “decrepit offices, non-potable water, and unsanitary spaces.” Duffy said moving FAA functions under the same roof as the DOT will streamline the modernization of IT and data systems. He also said keeping the FAA at arm’s length has “created unnecessary complexities between the Department and the agency. This distance has made responsiveness, accountability, and transparency a challenge. Congress and the public deserve our very best physically and operationally.”
There has been no response from the various unions representing the many and varied jobs and functions at the FAA building, and Duffy hasn’t said who will be first to pack up their desks. “This consolidation will occur gradually, leveraging existing space and a clear transition plan to minimize disruptions,” he said. The full memo is copied below:
Thank you for your dedication and hard work in advancing our mission to deliver a safe, efficient, and innovative transportation system for the nation. Your efforts across all modes—aviation, highways, trucking, rail, transit, maritime, and pipelines—have been instrumental in keeping America moving forward.
Today, I am pleased to announce the launch of 1DoT – an ongoing initiative designed to enhance the Department of Transportation’s efficiency, accountability, and operational excellence. 1DoT will streamline our processes, consolidate administrative functions, and modernize our infrastructure to better serve the American public.
Let me explain what this means and why it matters:
1DoT is a continual effort to unify the Department by consolidating functions across all modes. We will eliminate redundancies and enhance efficiency. This initiative will bring all modal administrations together, both operationally and physically, at our headquarters on New Jersey Avenue in the Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.
Our IT and HR systems are outdated, expensive, and unsecure. DoT currently runs more than 425 information systems, many with overlapping roles. There are 45 systems at the end of their lifespan across seven data centers running on more than 4,200 servers. DoT operates 10-14 grants systems, 4-5 registration systems, and 3-14 inspections systems. Despite this, there are still gaps in functions related to product management and artificial intelligence. For example, I can’t report with exact certainty to Congress how many grants are open on any one day.
This complicated web of technology is more than just a nuisance. Less efficiency means longer wait times for project completion, grants signed, or safety reviews conducted. This is a disservice to the American people. 1DoT will bring the Department into the 21st century with the consolidation of upgraded technology.
Over the next few weeks, the OCIO team will begin sunsetting legacy systems, modernizing the digital backbone of our department, and embracing advanced technologies. It’s long overdue and will have a significant impact on our ability to get the job done.
To further our 1DOT mission, the FAA will begin the process of relocating its headquarters staff to DOT’s Navy Yard building.
For decades, the FAA has been housed under a patchwork of federal buildings separate from the rest of the Department of Transportation. Over the years, this dislocation has created unnecessary complexities between the Department and the agency. This distance has made responsiveness, accountability, and transparency a challenge. Congress and the public deserve our very best physically and operationally.
All the while, the FAA’s physical facilities have fallen into a state of disrepair. Decrepit offices, non-potable water, and unsanitary spaces have come to define the primary agency responsible for the safety of the national airspace. The FAA’s IT and HR networks have become tangled and housed on systems incompatible with DOT.
This kind of a work environment is not fair to the hard working men and women of the FAA, and it is unbecoming of any federal agency, let alone one with a critical safety mission.
Bringing the FAA and DOT under one roof will:
- Enhance the agency’s safety mission
- Make the agency more accountable
- Streamline redundant IT/HR operations and create new efficiencies
- Ensure employees are working in modern facilities that reflect the importance of the agency’s mission
This consolidation will occur gradually, leveraging existing space and a clear transition plan to minimize disruptions.
By housing all of our modes in one uniform location, we can foster the kind of efficient collaboration we need to achieve great, big, beautiful things again.
More details about 1DoT, including timelines and next steps, will be shared in the coming weeks.
From my first days, I have encouraged you to engage with your leadership team. Continue to share your ideas and join us in this transformative effort.
Thank you for your continued commitment to our mission. Together, we will strengthen the Department of Transportation to be more effective, efficient, and fully prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Thank you for your work to bring about the future of transportation. Let’s get it done!
Centralization first, privatization later. (?) 🤔
Now lemme see if I understand this correctly. The FAA building on Independance Ave is in “disrepair.” Hmmm … if this building belongs to the FAA, why didn’t they keep it up? It’s no different than if I don’t keep my home up. So now they want to move folks because the water isn’t “potable.” Really!! … and ‘unsanitary spaces! What’re the FAA folks doing … pooping in their cubicles because the toilets are clogged? Unbelievable!
Recently, the President said that his Father told him to never go into a restaurant if the front door is dirty. Maybe that advice also applies to the FAA. Time to figure out who the heck is responsible for letting this building get SO run down. OR … maybe let’s just get rid of half the bloated employee roster … starting with too many FAA lawyers … fix up the building and move on. No damn wonder the FAA itself — in its official capacity — is in disrepair, too! Geesh 🫤
“Time to figure out who the heck is responsible for letting this building get SO run down.”
The same people who are responsible for all other government failures – Congress (though whiplash, lackluster spending appropriations), the Executive branch (through whiplash appointments), and the appointed heads of the government departments who are more concerned about appearing to address high-profile issues on paper than actually solving the issues that really matter.
Time will tell if this is yet another actionless foot-stomping, or if something is actually done about it. But I’m betting very little of the money appropriated to the DoT and FAA will go toward repairing the building.
You’re right. It is unbelievable. So don’t.
Beyond the obvious, the reason this is SO abhorrent to me is a similar situation that just occurred in a tiny WI town W of Oshkosh where I summer. The people running the County knocked down a beautiful 100-year-old County building with great character that couldn’t be replicated today for less than 10’s of millions of dollars. Their reasoning … it’s too run down and beyond economical repair. Same thing with a local school. The replacement County building is no bigger than the old one and it has the character of a cigar box. When the citizens voted not to fund a new school, they just re-assessed all the real property and got the money anyways. It’s time to start holding people like this accountable for their lack of performance. If the structure of a building is sound, upgrading its systems should always be the way to go. Back to the FAA building … someone is in charge of maintenance of that building. I’m sure they got their performance raises while they fell on their ‘swords’ with regards to maintenance.
I’ve spent time in both Wright Bros buildings numerous times over the last ten years and they are an amazing example of architecture of the time and full of historical and traditional significance. I never once observed anything that resembled a state of disrepair or insanitary conditions. The buildings are huge, and given that reality, to occasionally see an out of order sign on a water fountain or urinal, does not equate to a crumbling building. This move is and never was about infrastructure, cost savings, accountability, or enhancing FAA service to the american public. It is about control. The FAA has already been the puppet of D.C. politics for decades, and now this ‘move’ will further entrench the agency into that worthless pit. So again, if it seems unbelievable, then your instincts are right, don’t swallow it. Just like your tiny WI town politicians, they will tell you whatever it takes, without evidence, to justify their actions.
I can’t comment about the state of disrepair, or who’s fault that might be – although I suspect that the centralised Government Services Administration owns the buildings, and the FAA is just the assigned tenant – but I can comment on the building, having been in it a few times. It is a handsome building with some really nice features and a good example of the era and type. It has been suggested for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. I hope it gets fixed up and re-assigned to a new department, although based on Duffy’s comments, that sounds like a ton of money would be needed. (and yes, although it is not always fashionable nowadays, I do like 1960’s architecture when it was done well).
When I was working in DC (late last century) everyone knew that all of the actual work was being done by contractors hired and paid by one of three body-shops. Every four years there would be a mad, resource-sucking scramble to make sure that your job/project/division was still in the good graces of the new political appointees, who invariably wanted to do things differently. (“The boss won’t like the soup until he pisses in it.”)
None of my colleagues working for (say) CSC, kept a job for more than few years before a re-org, or a completely new administration, meant starting over somewhere else. This brain-drain was built into the system, so it is no surprise that something relatively simple, effective, and cheap (BasicMed) took decades to implement.
This inefficiency is baked into the system, regardless the party in power. The most accurate depiction of the situation, even today, was the brilliant 1985 film by Terry Gilliam, “Brazil”. Some called it “dystopian”; we called it “documentary”.
The story I take out of this comes from Secretary Duffy’s own words, ” keeping the FAA at arm’s length” from the Department of Transportation “has made responsiveness, accountability, and transparency a challenge.” He wants the FAA more squarely under his political thumb. It’s a thing in this Administration. Witness what has been happening with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). And now, of course, the Federal Reserve.
It’s no surprise to me that a sycophant fresh off a disgusting cabinet suck-up would concoct a pathetic lie about a historic and beautiful building (yes I’ve been inside too) in order to justify the next step to autocratic control for this administration. I’m sympathic for the employees who are being lied to and shuffled about with no apparent say in the matter.
Straight from P2025, it’s all part of the process to transform as much of the government as possible into a money-making, business-based enterprise at the extraordinary expense of the citizens it exists to serve. Accordingly, privatizing the rest will be easy.
And with virtually no resistance, they’re accelerating quickly down the runway.
Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer could hardly contain herself when she gleefully exclaimed “Mr President, I invite you see your big beautiful face on a banner in front of the Department of Labor because you are really the transformational president of the American worker!” coaxing Great Leader to slit a smile toward her in response.
Ironically, the department on which the banner hangs has undergone drastic cuts and pursued an agenda hostile to unions and workers over the last six months.
Maybe the DOT building will enjoy the same grace now that some FAA employees have been rescued from near death drinking non-potable water. What could be more inspirational, other than drinkable water, than seeing his big beautiful banner overlooking their morning entrance. Love letters come to mind…
Just another pre-privatization move by this administration .
The only real problem with the Orville Wright federal building that has been reported is lead in the water system. The building was built in the 1960s, so it has probably had lead in the water for some time. Lead pipes weren’t banned until 1986. I’m not sure it’s efficient to abandon an entire building just because the plumbing needs replacing.
People always want smaller government. However, the work of the civil service, or at least most of it, still needs to be done. That means privatization. Sometimes privatization works, as in the case of Canada’s air traffic control (Wait, aren’t they supposed to be commies these days? ☺ ) and sometimes it doesn’t, such as, arguably, the FAA’s out-sourcing of FAR-23 to ASTM. What’s happening here sure looks to me like preparation for privatization – sell off the good stuff and keep the liabilities back for the taxpayers to absorb. I suspect that Haliburn could extend itself and handle the job, but with user-fees that far exceed the cost that taxpayers currently pay. Such is the way of a profit-maximization orthodoxy. Whatever; if the decision has been secretly made to move toward privatization, let’s see if it ends up being a positive or a negative datapoint. My mind is biased to negative. But the most important thing for some is that the civil service head-count, at least on paper, will be a bit smaller. The only big problem is that once done, there’s no going back.