Various airline-related staffing and regulatory changes were made on the heels of President Donald Trump‘s inauguration, just nine days before a tragic midair collision resulted in the deaths of 64 people.
What Happened: On Tuesday, Jan. 21, Trump fired the heads of the Transportation Security Administration and Coast Guard.
The new administration also eliminated the Aviation Security Advisory Committee — a group tasked with examining safety issues at airlines and airports. A memo reiterated Trump’s "commitment to eliminating the misuse of resources and ensuring that [Department of Homeland Security] activities prioritize our national security," the Associated Press reported.
Eight days later, a regional jet from American Airlines Group Inc AAL collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night.
“We’re all searching for answers,” Trump said during a press briefing Thursday, and almost immediately suggested that DEI, — an acronym for diversity, equity and inclusion — “could have been” a factor in the crash.
He provided no evidence.
When a journalist asked if he was prematurely linking the incident to DEI, Trump defended his claim.
"I have common sense, OK?" Trump said.
What’s The Aviation Security Advisory Committee? Before Trump returned to office, the Aviation Security Advisory Committee worked in conjunction with the Transportation Security Administration. It included representatives from major airlines and major unions, as well as members associated with victims of a PanAm bombing over Scotland in 1988 — an incident that originally inspired the group’s formation.
"I naively thought, ‘oh they're not going to do anything in the new administration, to put security at risk — aviation security at risk.' But I'm not so sure," Stephanie Bernstein, whose husband was killed in the bombing and served on the committee, told the Associated Press.
It’s worth noting that investigators have so far not published any evidence to suggest that staff changes or cuts made by Trump administration, including firings, contributed to the crash.
A Leaderless FAA: The Federal Aviation Administration's former leader, Michael Whitaker, stepped down on Jan. 20. His resignation came months after Elon Musk — Trump’s largest donor and a major proponent of spending cuts — demanded that he quit, The Daily Beast reported.
Whitaker ran the FAA for about a year. During his tenure, Biden signed sweeping aviation legislation to boost air traffic controller staffing and increase funding to prevent runway incidents. The $105 billion bill reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years and includes new safety measures.
Wednesday’s crash is the deadliest U.S. air disaster since 2001.
“At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors,” Washington’s Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said Thursday morning. Officials recovered 28 bodies from the scene in the Potomac River.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom also issued a prepared statement: “Our focus right now is doing everything we can to support all of those involved. This is devastating. We are all hurting incredibly.”
What’s Next: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, a former reality television star, emphasized the administration's commitment to investigating the incident.
"I don't want to go into too much detail about the information we have from the FAA, but obviously it is not standard to have aircraft collide. I want to be clear on that,” Duffy said at a Thursday press conference.
Duffy was quickly taken to task for his comments on social media.
Trump picked Duffy for the post just days after winning the election in November. Duffy told senators on Jan. 15 that, with Trump, “we will usher in a golden age of travel."
On Jan. 20, Trump ordered a hiring freeze of federal civilian employees. In a Thursday post on X, formerly Twitter, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg criticized Trump's approach to aviation safety, saying, "One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe."
The order, according to the White House website, does not include "military personnel of the armed forces or to positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety."
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