Donald Trump is going after former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for the devastating crash between a commercial plane and the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, which occurred on Wednesday night. Of course, he has no evidence to back this up, but that isn’t stopping him from labeling Buttigieg a “disaster.”
Wednesday night’s crash involving the American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, and an army helicopter carrying three individuals near Reagan Washington National Airport is under an ongoing investigation. Of the 60 passengers and four crew members on the commercial flight and the three individuals in the helicopter, it appears that none survived. Of course, a thorough investigation is taking place to discover what exactly led to this tragedy, but instead of focusing on providing empathy and support for the families who have lost loved ones, President Trump is instead using this as a moment to attack diversity, equity and inclusion programmes along with Buttigieg.
During a press conference on the crash, Trump said, “Do you know how badly everything’s run since he’s run this Department of Transportation? He’s a disaster.” He criticized Buttigieg’s role as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and then went on to attack his leadership as the former Transportation Secretary. “The Department of Transportation, his government agency charged with regulating civil aviation while he runs it, 45,000 people, and he’s run it right into the ground with his diversity, so I had to say that it’s terrible.”
The blame game
Buttigieg had something to say on this matter himself. Responding on X he called Trump’s response “despicable” adding that “As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying.” Turning his attention to the attacks on his former department, he said, “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.” Buttigieg also pointed out that this happened under Trump’s watch, as he overseas the military and the Federal Aviation Administration. He reminded us that, “One of [Trump’s] first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe.”
Trump did fire key personnel within the FAA, including removing the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), David Pekoske. At the time of the crash, there was no permanent leadership as Michael Whitaker, the FAA’s top official, stepped down from his role before the new administration stepped in, having clashed with Elon Musk. As of yet, these changes have not been confirmed to have caused the crash, and neither has the FAA’s DEI approach to employment. Experts have warned that, at this point, speculation is not helpful.
What are the real issues facing the FAA?
Last year, CNN reported that “Despite a surge in hiring last year, air traffic control stations nationwide are still about 3,000 controllers short, according to new Federal Aviation Administration numbers.” This was partly down to the training period being so long due to the strict standards required to become and air traffic controller. Last year a bill to maximise hiring added an extra $105 billion to support the hiring of thousands of new air traffic controllers. This allowed the FAA to exceed their initial hiring goals by September of 2024.
These individuals, however, are likely still in training, and therefore the position of air traffic controller is still understaffed. A preliminary report from the FAA regarding the crash stated that the air traffic control tower staffing at Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) was “not normal” for the amount of air traffic that day. According to a source reported in NBC News, one controller was overseeing both helicopter and plane activity. This is allowed in FAA guidelines.
Until the results of the investigation are clear, making baseless accusations, as Trump has done, is both dangerous and unwarranted. Trump has been waging a war against DEI hiring initiatives, using the “woke” hiring tactic as a scapegoat for any issues within the federal government.
Published: Jan 31, 2025 11:58 AM UTC