In what was the country’s deadliest midair crash since 2001, an American Airlines passenger plane and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter collided near Reagan National Airport, sending both aircraft into the Potomac River.
“I put safety first. [Former president Barack] Obama, [Former president Joe] Biden and the Democrats put policy first,” he said. “They actually came out with a directive: ‘too white.’ And we want the people that are competent.”
Federal investigators have stated that it is too soon to determine the cause of the crash or identify any contributing factors.
The US Coast Guard, along with other search and rescue teams, operate near debris at the crash site in the Potomac River (Photo: Reuters)
Trump has made attacking Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programmes a hallmark of his presidency, signing an executive order terminating them in all federal agencies.
“The FAA website states they include hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism all qualified for the position of a controller of airplanes pouring into our country, pouring into a little spot, a little dot on the map, little runway.”
square NEWS Trump blames Obama and Biden’s ‘diversity push’ for fatal Washington DC crash
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In 2012 President Obama signed into law a bill directing the FAA to introduce a “diversity and inclusion strategic plan”, reaching out to under-represented groups such as women, ethnic minorities and disabled people.
The fact-checking website Snopes reported that the language on the FAA’s website about recruiting workers with disabilities had remained unchanged since at least 2013, meaning it was present during the first Trump administration. The page has now been removed from the website.
Emergency response teams including Washington, DC respond to helicopter wreckage in the Potomac River (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Furthermore, under Trump’s first administration, in April 2019, the FAA announced a programme for 20 people with “targeted disabilities” to work in air traffic operations. Some of those disabilities included the disabilities that Trump listed.
It emphasised that people with disabilities would not be hired for jobs for which they were not capable.
“Like many large employers, the agency proactively seeks qualified candidates from as many sources as possible, all of whom must meet rigorous qualifications that of course will vary by position.”
Data shows that the vast majority of air traffic controllers and aviation workers are white males.
Data compiled by Deloitte and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows that the proportion of white air traffic controllers fell from 79 per cent in 2020.
According to a 2016 FAA annual report, 58.9 per cent of its workforce were white men and 0.7 per cent had targeted disabilities.
Emergency response teams assess airplane wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport (Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Did staffing shortages play a role?
Some reports suggest that staffing shortages on the night of the accident may have contributed to the deadly crash.
The air traffic controller who was handling helicopters was also directing planes that were arriving and departing.
FBI agents stand near debris, after a passenger plane and a Black Hawk helicopter collided while approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)The shortage was presumably caused in part by frequent employee turnover and tight budgets, with many controllers forced to work extra days and longer hours, the outlet alleges.
Democrats have taken aim Trump, accusing him of firing key people in the air safety sector after coming into power and instigating a federal hiring freeze.
square USA What happened during the Washington plane crash, according to experts
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He also began firing federal employees, leaving many vacancies across agencies, and requiring in-person work arrangements.
Democratic lawmakers say the freeze applies to air traffic controllers, although it is unclear to what extent.
Rick Larsen, the ranking member of the House committee on transportation and infrastructure, said: “Hiring air traffic controllers is the No 1 safety issue according to the entire aviation industry. Instead of working to improve aviation safety and lower costs for hardworking American families, the administration is choosing to spread bogus DEI claims to justify this decision.”
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