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• Trump's Navy secretary nominee said the President texts him in the middle of the night about rusty warships.
• Phelan said Trump sends him pictures of worn ships asking him what he's going to do about it.
• During his first term, the President was said to be very focused on the look of warships.

President Donald Trump's pick for US Navy secretary said multiple times on Thursday that he receives late-night texts from the President about rusty warships.

"I jokingly say that President Trump has texted me numerous times very late at night — sometimes after one in the morning," John Phelan, a businessman tapped to lead the Navy, told lawmakers during his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing.

He said that the president's late-night messages are about "rusty ships or ships in a yard, asking me, what am I doing about it?" Phelan added that he's told him, "I'm not confirmed yet and have not been able to do anything about it, but I will be very focused on it."

Later in the hearing, Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, showed Phelan a recent picture of the destroyer USS Dewey covered in rust and asked him how he felt about it.

He responded: "Please don't give it to President Trump because I'll get a text at like, one in the morning." He added he thought the rusty warship looked terrible and suggested that the Navy "should be ashamed."

And that wasn't the last mention of it. Toward the end of the hearing, he noted Trump's urgency in addressing problems in the Navy. He said that "the president did text me, I think it was 1:18 in the morning, of like three Rusty ships in a yard and said what are you doing about this."

The brown streaks of rust sometimes seen on Navy vessels are a sign of corrosion. It is a constant battle for Navy warships and their crews, and that fight is sometimes lost amid high operational tempos or maintenance delays, among other challenges.

The questions to Phelan were part of the committee's concerns about how the nominee plans to address the US Navy's shipbuilding and maintenance issues, which include critical industrial base problems and severely delayed projects, such as the Pentagon's priority submarines.

Phelan said one of his top priorities is to fix this shipbuilding issue, which is aligned with Trump's focus as well.

The White House did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment on the texts Phelan mentioned. The texts would be on brand for the president, who took a keen interest in the look of Navy warships in his first term.

In particular, he zeroed in on the new frigates and Ford-class carriers, calling some of the ship designs "terrible-looking" and "horrible."

The president's former defense secretary, Mark Esper, wrote previously that Trump would gripe about the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, saying that the island "looks really bad." He also said Trump said US warships were "ugly" compared to Russian vessels.

In June 2020 near the end of his first term, Trump jokingly took credit for the look of the first of the Navy's guided missile frigate vessels.

"The ships that they were building, they look terrible," the president said, adding that when he looked at the design, he said, "That's a terrible-looking ship, let's make it beautiful." He said he eventually received a "beautiful model" of the frigate that he called "like a yacht with missiles on it."

Beyond the appearance of warships, Trump has also complained about ship engineering, most recently criticizing advanced systems on the Ford.

• A judge ruled that federal workers associated with the White House DOGE office can be subpoenaed in a current lawsuit.
• The lawsuit filed by AFL-CIO seeks information on how the DOGE office is handling sensitive data.
• US District Judge John Bates highlighted DOGE's "unclear" structure and authority as keys to the legal decision.

A federal judge on Thursday granted a motion to require federal workers tied to the White House DOGE office to testify under oath.

The decision came in a lawsuit from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, one of the country's largest trade unions. The group sued the DOGE office and the Department of Labor on February 5 over access to sensitive personal data.

The ruling granted the plaintiffs' request to conduct four depositions, one each with the agencies named in the lawsuit — the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — and the United States DOGE Service. However, it also said the depositions would be capped at "eight hours in the aggregate."

The judge wrote that "understandably, defendants argue most strongly against" the depositions. But he said the depositions being limited to specific topics and in length meant they did not pose too high a burden.

The topics that can be discussed in the depositions include how access to systems at each agency changed after the DOGE office was created, the role of DOGE office employees at the agencies, and how those employees are using sensitive systems at the agencies.

It's unclear which specific Trump administration officials would be asked to sit for the depositions.

The lawsuit is one of more than 85 lawsuits challenging the scope of the DOGE office's authority.

AFL-CIO filed a motion for expedited discovery, citing limited information about the DOGE office's current operation. Washington, DC, District Judge John Bates wrote in the ruling that the DOGE office's "structure" and "scope of authority" are "not only unclear on the current record but also critical" to decide how the law applies to the agency.

Bates wrote that it would be "strange to permit defendants to submit evidence that addresses critical factual issues and proceed to rule on a preliminary injunction motion without permitting plaintiffs to explore those factual issues through very limited discovery."

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• The FAA announced its first round of 2025 air traffic controller hiring on Thursday.
• The job is high-stress with challenges like fatigue, but the average annual salary is six figures.
• Controllers must undergo rigorous training and testing and retire at 56.

The Trump Administration has a plan to increase air traffic control staffing: faster hiring and more money.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday that the Federal Aviation Administration has accelerated hiring to cut more than four months off the timeline.

Candidates who attend the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City will earn 30% more. The agency said the average controller salary is now $160,000.

The Federal Aviation Administration reopened its hiring window, with applications accepted until March 17.

Being an air traffic controller is an extremely high-stress job. The over 14,000 workers nationwide are responsible for moving tens of thousands of lives on board planes across the country every day.

Pressure on the FAA to hire controllers more quickly comes amid heightened attention on air safety following a string of crashes. A deadly American Airlines midair collision in January highlighted potential lapses in US air traffic systems.

The agency has been battling a controller shortage for years. CNN reported in May 2024 that the FAA was about 3,000 controllers short, though it met its 2024 hiring goal of 1,800 and plans to hire another 2,000 this year.

Business Insider spoke with FAA controller Cedrick Earley to discuss what it is like to work the job. Here are nine things you should know before applying to become an air traffic controller.

You don't need a college degree to work in ATC

ATC is a good option for people looking for a high-salary job that doesn't require a college degree.

According to Thursday's job posting, an eligible applicant must:

• Be a US citizen
• Speak clear and fluent English
• Be under the age of 31 before the application closing date (more on that later)
• Have one year of full-time work experience or higher education, or a combination of both
• Meet specific physical and mental fitness standards

Successful applicants who apply through the FAA must undergo months of extensive training and pass mandatory tests, such as an aptitude test, a skills assessment, and physical and psychological exams, before being officially hired.

The applicants will spend up to five months at the academy, where training and testing will occur. However, some applicants come from other careers, like the military.

Earley said he went through the Air Force to become a controller instead of going through the FAA.

"[Air Force] is a different track," he said. "The quality of training you receive from the Air Force is equivalent to what you would get if you went through the route with the FAA in Oklahoma."

You have to be younger than 31 when you apply

According to the FAA, all ATC applicants must be 30 or younger on the closing date of the application period to qualify for the position.

This is because the agency has determined through extensive research that the older someone is, the harder it is for them to complete the rigorous training.

However, according to the agency, those who already have air traffic control experience can be hired up to 35 years of age. 

You have to go through a lot of testing and training

Whether you become a controller through the FAA or the military, you will have to undergo monthslong training and pass aptitude, physical, physiological, and skill tests. These exams assess applicants' health, and their ability to train for and perform the job.

Initial tests are pass/fail, according to the agency, and failing certain exams will eliminate applicants from the hiring process.

The training is demanding, with about 50% of aspiring Air Force controllers failing out.

You won't necessarily work in a tower

Earley said traffic controllers are not just confined to the airport tower but can also work in the several hundred facilities around and between airports nationwide.

For example, one may work in the Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility, or TRACON, in Memphis and be responsible for controlling aircraft leaving the airport for their next destination and directing flights into the airport for a quick and safe landing. 

Employees can also work in one of the air route traffic control centers, or ARTCCs, throughout the US, which direct aircraft en route to their destinations.

The work can be high-stress and sometimes boring

Being an air traffic controller can be stressful due to the heavy workload and high-consequence environment. However, depending on how busy the skies are, the job can also be dull and boring.

Former air traffic controller Michele Robson wrote in 2020 that the job can be quiet at night, but controllers must always be alert and ready to work at any hour on shift.

While some controllers find the job extremely stressful, Earley said that isn't the case for him because he enjoys the "challenge of coming in every day to a new puzzle." However, he admitted that that work keeps him on his toes.

"Controllers are always learning on the job, like updating and refining the processes or learning new rules and procedures," he explained. "It is a job where you always have to change and adapt." 

Safety is the top priority

Air traffic controllers are responsible for about 50,000 daily flights in the US, so safety is the most important aspect of the job.

An increasing number of planes colliding or nearly colliding has further enhanced FAA training and system improvements across airports and ATC facilities.

According to Earley, there are several things controllers do to ensure nothing is missed.

"I work in front of a radar scope, and it can get busy at times, so I am not supposed to work in position more than two hours at a time, so we get a break to keep us refreshed," he said. "We also do not work more than 10 hours in one day, and there is a certain amount of hours we have to be off before we can work again."

The FAA implemented new rules in 2024 to minimize controller fatigue by raising the minimum rest time between shifts from at least nine hours to at least 10 hours. Controllers also get 12 hours off before and after midnight shifts.

Earley also explained that there are redundancies in the job to elevate safety and that other controllers and supervisors help check each other's work.

"Everyone is actually able to see what is going on with any particular person's work at the time, so it is one team, one fight," he said. "If we notice something is a little out of sorts, we can bring that to the controller's attention, and they can fix it before it becomes a bigger problem."

The salary is good, but the work schedule can be inconsistent

Earley explained the job's salary, which increases with seniority, plus the benefits provide a good work-life balance.

"It's a job that pays me well and allows me to support my family," he said. "I'm also able to take leisure time for myself, like spending time with my daughter."

However, he also said his schedule is not the regular 9-5.

"I do have some shifts I work from midnight to 8 a.m., as well as some scattered 12-8 shifts, so it rotates," he said. "I always know what my hours are each day, but it is not always at the same time. It is consistently inconsistent."

You know your schedule for the entire year

According to Earley, air traffic controllers know their work schedule a year in advance.

"When we set our schedules up, we bid what we want for the next year, and then we are awarded our full schedule for the year," he said. "It helps in terms of planning our leave."

He also explained that the schedule is only for one year, and controllers can change it the following year.

You can retire at 56

All air traffic controllers must retire at 56 due to the higher possibility of memory or hearing loss, inattentiveness, or reduced eyesight in older individuals.

However, Earley said the 56 age cut-off only applies to those actively working traffic, so controllers who are not yet ready to retire can take a desk or management job instead.