Quotes
It says FAA ... says people with severe disabilities are most underrepresented segment of the workforce, [they] said, 'They want them in, and they want them, they can be air traffic controllers.' I don't think so. This was January 14, so that was a week before I entered office. They put a big push to put diversity into the FAA's program,
Trump said, according to The Guardian
Did DEI play a role in this type of thing?"
Andy Ogles raised the question ... during an interview with Fox BusinessI don't think it had anything to do with this particular accident. I have concerns about DEI within the FAA and for that matter all the transportation agencies, but I've had that concern now for years,
the Missouri lawmaker said
I think we should wait to see the results of that investigation,
Cruz told HuffPostI'd like to warn everybody, a lot of folks are saying DEI and all this other stuff, and things are going on,
he said in the video
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."
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg hit back when Trump blamed him, in part, for the plane crash, writing on XI have common sense, okay, and unfortunately, a lot of people don't."
When asked about this, Trump defended his response, telling reportersWe do not know what led to this crash but we have some very strong opinions and ideas,
he said on Wednesday
There have been plenty of stories of near miss events that have been the cause of staffing issues,
he addedFirst of all they're not disgraceful, we're finally getting somebody out there who breaks the silence of the establishment and tells the truth
But Schlichter said
I love it, I am unreservedly happy that we finally have somebody out there calling it as he sees it
Schlichter repliedWell exactly, so why, how can you sit there and blithely support these disgraceful remarks?
When Schlichter admitted 'there's none at the moment', Dale replied
Alright, alright, Chris, can you get this numbskull off our programme please
But a furious Dale spoke to a producer on air and asked them to end the call, sayingIf you send me over, oh I don't know another Margaret Thatcher, I'll be thrilled
Schlichter then carried on, addingOn the face of it, some extraordinary remarks from President Trump
He began by asking Schlichter about Mr Trump's comments, sayingYou want to hire the best and the brightest for this kind of job because it is a very stressful job and can take a toll on you, aging you prematurely. You want to make sure that the people doing it are the best."
Andrew Brigida, speaking to British newspaper The Telegraph on ThursdayDEI hiring policies have no place in America, especially in safety-critical industries, yet they have shaped the FAA's hiring decisions for years. Last night's accident is a sobering reminder of the cost of placing ideology over expertise. How many more tragedies must occur before we return to common sense? It's time to demand accountability, end DEI hiring in aviation, and restore safety as the top priority in our airways."
Mountain States Legal Foundation said in a Thursday statementEvery FAA-certified air traffic controller has gone through months of screening and training at the FAA Academy, and that is before another 18-24 months of training to learn specific regions and airspaces. There is a well-known national shortage of air traffic controllers, and the FAA has ramped up outreach to ensure no talent is left on the table. We are accelerating the pace of recruiting, training, and hiring to meet demand while maintaining the highest qualification standards."
FAA statement to Fox News in April 2024It may have, I don't know
But at another point, asked if race and gender played a role in the tragic accident, Trump saidThe 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 air planes pouring into our country, pouring into a little spot
Trump, quoting from the passage as he addressed reporters in the White House Press Briefing room, said