Overview
- Alvin Brown, a Biden-appointed vice chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), was removed by the Trump administration without an official explanation on May 5, 2025.
- This marks the first known instance in modern history of a White House removing an NTSB board member before the end of their term, according to experts.
- The NTSB now lists only four members, all appointed by President Trump, raising concerns about the agency's traditionally bipartisan and independent status.
- Brown’s removal coincides with ongoing investigations into over 1,000 transportation safety cases, including a January midair collision that killed 67 people.
- The dismissal is part of a broader pattern of the Trump administration replacing Democratic appointees in independent federal agencies with Republican-aligned officials.