President Trump suggested that the FAA's hiring practices, particularly those promoting diversity and inclusion, may have contributed to a fatal mid-air collision between a helicopter and a passenger jet. He criticized the Biden and Obama administrations for lowering standards and claimed that 'brilliant people' should be in these positions. The investigation is ongoing.
President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that the Department of Transportation's hiring practices may have contributed to a mid-air collision between a regional jet and a Black Hawk helicopter. He asserted that the Biden and Obama administrations lowered the standards for becoming an air traffic controller with the Federal Aviation Administration. 'They put a big push to put diversity into the FAA program,' he stated.
Authorities reported that it was highly probable that no one on board both the helicopter and the airplane survived the crash. At least 30 bodies have been retrieved from the Potomac River, according to officials. Officials are in the preliminary stages of their investigation, and the cause of the crash remains officially undetermined. The National Transportation Safety Board is initiating an investigation, but as President Trump pointed out, these investigations can span months or even years to complete. It is unclear who was the air traffic controller on duty or whether human error played a role in the incident. In his address, President Trump criticized the hiring policies of the Biden and Obama administrations, which promoted the employment of individuals with disabilities in government jobs. He claimed this approach was part of a broader diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring policy within the federal government that he has sought to dismantle. On July 26, 2010, President Barack Obama issued Executive Order 13548, which stipulated that the federal government should serve as a model for hiring people with disabilities. On Thursday, President Trump echoed a statement he released last week denouncing the Federal Aviation Administration for hiring individuals with 'severe intellectual disabilities.' 'Brilliant people have to be in those positions,' President Trump stated. According to the FAA, a person with severe intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities is eligible for non-competitive appointments to FAA positions if they can provide documentation that they are 'physically qualified to do the work without hazard to self or to others.' Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg responded to Trump's claims on Thursday. 'Despicable. As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying. We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch. President Trump now oversees the military and the...'— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) January 30, 2025 Also during Trump's first term, the FAA announced a pilot program to assist individuals with disabilities in preparing for careers in air traffic operations. 'The candidates in this program will receive the same rigorous consideration in terms of aptitude, medical, and security qualifications as those individuals considered for a standard public opening for air traffic controller jobs. Participants in the program will receive up to one year of experience in an Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) with the potential to be appointed to a temporary ATCS position at the FAA Academy,' the FAA stated in 2019
DONALD TRUMP FAA MID-AIR COLLISION AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION OBAMA BIDEN DISABILITIES DIVERSITY INCLUSION
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