The pipeline extension was never approved, so there were no employees to fire. To compare putting a stop to a project Americans didn't want before it even started, using speculative estimates of potential jobs, to the mass terminations happening now is quite a stretch.
It will take some time to see what impact the headcount reductions may have. If a plane crash is due to mechanical failure, pilot error, or weather, then it should not be the fault of the FAA, the transportation secretary or the President. But, if equipment is not maintained, maps are not current, personnel on the ground who guide the planes are short staffed, computer systems are not updated, it won't matter if air traffic control is fully staffed with white men.
The impacts are more likely to be delays in takeoffs and landings in the short-term. A big problem that some CEO'S have is that they think of employees as an expense rather than an asset. A mass layoffs helps the bottom line for a while, but it is rarely sustainable.
Spunky 