{"id":2397396,"date":"2025-01-31T08:57:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T13:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-has-short-sobering-quote-before-signing-executive-orders-in-wake-of-dc-air-collision\/"},"modified":"2025-01-31T08:59:45","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T13:59:45","slug":"trump-has-short-sobering-quote-before-signing-executive-orders-in-wake-of-dc-air-collision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-has-short-sobering-quote-before-signing-executive-orders-in-wake-of-dc-air-collision\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Has Short, Sobering Quote Before Signing Executive Orders in Wake of DC Air Collision"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-has-short-sobering-quote-before-signing-executive-orders-in-wake-of-dc-air-collision%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2397396&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The text discusses a tragic incident involving the mid-air collision of\u200b an American Airlines\u200b commuter plane and a U.S. Army\u2062 Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National\u200d airport, resulting in the deaths of 67 individuals on both\u200c aircraft. The \u200cinvestigation is in its initial stages, with attention focused on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/search-and-rescue-teams-at-site-of-indonesian-plane-crash\/\" title=\"Search and rescue teams at site of Indonesian plane crash\">air traffic control<\/a>, notably due\u2062 to concerns about inadequate staffing during\u2062 crucial operations. critics highlight that the\u200c situation may relate to questions of competence within the Federal Aviation Governance (FAA), especially \u200bconsidering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring\u200d practices established in previous administrations.<\/p>\n<p>following the accident, President Trump&#8217;s administration faces scrutiny and accusations from the\u200c left regarding duty, despite Trump calling for a return \u200cto competency-based hiring. \u2062The\u2064 discussion highlights the ongoing \u2064debate surrounding the implications of DEI hiring policies on public safety, with\u2062 assertions that such practices may have diluted the standard of qualifications necessary for critical air\u2064 traffic \u200ccontrol positions.Trump&#8217;s administration quickly moved to reassess and\u2064 potentially undo\u200c these DEI policies in favor of prioritizing\u200c competence, raising concerns about how these issues\u2063 may have contributed to the crash.ultimately, the text serves as a commentary on systemic failures, safety practices \u200cin \u2063aviation, and the politicization of crises in the context of governmental leadership and policies.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s a strange and tragic first crisis for President Donald Trump&rsquo;s administration to confront, and an unpredictable one at that: the collision of an American Airlines commuter plane and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport just outside of Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/updates-horror-dc-black-hawk-helicopter-passenger-jet-collide-bodies-potomac-prayer-needed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">crash<\/a>, which killed 67 people aboard both American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, and the UH-60 helicopter on a training mission, is still in the early investigative phases. However, given that mid-air collisions are unusual &mdash; particularly on the approach to a major airport &mdash; the spotlight has immediately fallen on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-carriers-cost-struggle-overshadows-travel-demand-surge\/\" title=\"U.S. carriers\u2019 cost struggle overshadows travel demand surge\">air-traffic controller<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/dc-md-va\/2025\/01\/30\/dc-plane-crash-updates-helicopter-potomac-reagan-airport\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Washington Post<\/a>, there was only one staffer dealing with helicopter traffic and overseeing active runway operations, a situation described as &ldquo;not normal&rdquo; by a source.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/us\/live-news\/plane-crash-dca-potomac-washington-dc-01-29-25#cm6k0ssg000003b6m250ngg4k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNN<\/a> reported that just a day before, another airliner &mdash; Republic Airways Flight 4514 &mdash; was forced to execute a go-around after receiving an automated collision warning because a helicopter was in its flight path.<\/p>\n<p>The left is simultaneously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/low-can-go-mainstream-media-leftists-attempt-pin-plane-disaster-trump-quickly-regret\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trying to blame the Trump administration&rsquo;s transportation secretary<\/a> for the crash (he was on the job all of one day, which makes that a little difficult to argue), while warning the new administration away from politicizing the crash themselves.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Trump blames DEI for deadly plane crash before introducing former Real World Boston cast member and Fox News host Sean Duffy, who he selected to be Secretary of Transportation for some reason.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TVietor08\/status\/1885005371674398968?\">January 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>However, the problem is that DEI policies might have played a role in this &mdash; and while Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker said President Donald Trump is &ldquo;unfit to lead during moments of crisis&rdquo; due to his focus on DEI in the Federal Aviation Administration, per the Post, it&rsquo;s worth noting that Trump&rsquo;s concern about this predates the crash.<\/p>\n<p>And, for those who would criticize him, he had four words when he signed an executive order getting DEI hiring practices out of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/faa-investigating-southwest-pilot-given-instructions-nearly-caused-disaster\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the FAA<\/a>: &ldquo;In other words, competency.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>So, let&rsquo;s backtrack a little bit. Beginning during <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20130226035813\/https:\/\/www.faa.gov\/jobs\/diversity_inclusion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Barack Obama&rsquo;s<\/a> administration, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.faa.gov\/newsroom\/faa-provides-aviation-careers-people-disabilities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FAA<\/a> began hiring those with what are called &ldquo;targeted disabilities,&rdquo; in order to &ldquo;empower them and facilitate their entry into a more diverse and inclusive workforce&rdquo; in air traffic operations.<\/p>\n<p>What are &ldquo;targeted disabilities,&rdquo; you might ask? According to a memorandum last updated March 23, 2022, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/faa-diversity-push-hire-workers-severe-intellectual-disabilities-sparks-concern-mockery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a>, it includes those with &ldquo;severe physical disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and intellectual disabilities.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In fact, the <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20241211203347\/https:\/\/www.faa.gov\/pwdp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">memorandum<\/a> stated that these individuals could be hired &ldquo;on-the-spot&rdquo; with a &ldquo;non-competitive hiring method&rdquo; to ensure, one assumes, maximum diversity.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This excepted authority is used to appoint persons with severe physical disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and intellectual disabilities,&rdquo; the memo said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Such individuals may qualify for conversion to permanent status after two years of satisfactory service. Severe physical disabilities include but are not limited to blindness, deafness, paralysis, missing limbs, epilepsy, dwarfism, and more.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>And not only that, as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2024\/may\/14\/dei-has-jeopardized-air-safety\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Washington Times<\/a> noted last May, these hiring patterns had led to a lawsuit: &ldquo;More than ten years ago, the Obama Administration scrapped 1,000 qualified candidates. The administration&rsquo;s justification was that the pool of applicants was not diverse enough, so they would be purged from consideration. Instead of hiring candidates with the most competency, individuals were elevated for hiring consideration based on their race.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Despite their intent to expand the air traffic control hiring pool via DEI, the FAA has recently admitted they are woefully understaffed and that current air traffic controllers are severely overworked. One report found that only 3 of the 313 air traffic facilities around the nation met the FAA targets last year. This has forced the agency to admit safety could be jeopardized. To mitigate such danger, the agency has &lsquo;at times halted departures or otherwise slowed down air traffic.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>There is, as they say, a new sheriff in town &mdash; and on Jan. 22, Trump&rsquo;s White House put out a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/fact-sheets\/2025\/01\/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-ends-dei-madness-and-restores-excellence-and-safety-within-the-federal-aviation-administration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fact sheet<\/a> regarding a memorandum he&rsquo;d signed &ldquo;terminating a Biden Administration Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hiring policy that prioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) over safety and efficiency.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Millions of Americans rely on safe, timely air travel every day: Safety and competence should be the only job criteria for FAA employees, yet the Biden Administration violated the public trust&mdash;as well as the law &mdash; by prioritizing illegal DEI hiring,&rdquo; the fact sheet said.<\/p>\n<p>It added that the Trump administration would require &rdquo; the FAA Administrator to review the past performance and performance standards of all FAA employees in critical safety positions and make clear that any individual who fails to demonstrate adequate capability is replaced by someone who will ensure Americans&rsquo; flight safety and efficiency.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, one day after the crash, Trump signed an executive order titled the &ldquo;&#8202;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/01\/immediate-assessment-of-aviation-safety\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Immediate Assessment of Aviation Safety<\/a>&rdquo; &mdash; which, as was explained to him by an aide as he signed it, would &ldquo;basically ensure that we are actively undoing all of that damage, that we&rsquo;re assessing how much damage was done.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The aide also referenced the previous memorandum of Jan. 21, issued before the crash. The orders, the aide said, would ensure the government is selecting &ldquo;only the most outstanding capable people for the jobs that they&rsquo;re being hired into.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In other words, competence,&rdquo; Trump said, bluntly.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#BREAKING<\/a>: President Trump has just ordered an assessment of damage done to aviation by the Biden administration&rsquo;s DEI policies<\/p>\n<p>It also orders the FAA to immediately elevate competence over &ldquo;diversity&rdquo; in hiring practices<\/p>\n<p>WHY is this even controversial?! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BlxKnJFGmE\">pic.twitter.com\/BlxKnJFGmE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nicksortor\/status\/1885070816905142482?\">January 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Now, I and everyone else &mdash; including, I suspect, President Trump &mdash; would concede we don&rsquo;t know what role the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">air traffic controller played<\/a> in the accident, or whether he was the best hire they could find. Neither DEI nor ATC may have had a thing to do with this.<\/p>\n<p>That being said: Are you willing to put your life in the hands of a DEI hire who would otherwise have a disqualifying condition up in the control tower? Are you going to frown upon Trump&rsquo;s emphasis on doing away with DEI hiring at the FAA because <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-doj-set-crack-state-local-officials-oppose-deportation-efforts-memo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">J.B. Pritzker<\/a> is pointing one of his sausage-like fingers at Trump, calling him &ldquo;unfit to lead during moments of crisis&rdquo; and suggesting, by implication, that you&rsquo;re aiding and abetting bigotry if you support these measures?<\/p>\n<p>Airliner disasters are mercifully rare compared to what they were 30 years ago because of the redundancy that&rsquo;s been built into the system. That redundancy has to be maintained with vigilance, however &mdash; not watered down for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/chilling-audio-reveals-air-traffic-controls-final-instructions-doomed-black-hawk-panicked-aftermath\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wokeness&rsquo;<\/a> sake because it looks good on paper.<\/p>\n<p>We don&rsquo;t know how all these redundancies broke down so tragically on Wednesday night. With 67 people dead and an identifiable weakness in the system &mdash; which may or may not have had a thing to do with the crash, mind you &mdash; why shouldn&rsquo;t we demand &ldquo;competence&rdquo;?<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s an unusual and tragic initial crisis for President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration to face, marked by the unexpected collision of an American Airlines commuter plane and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. The incident resulted in the deaths of 67 individuals on both American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, and the UH-60 helicopter involved in a training mission. Investigations are still in their early stages, but mid-air collisions are rare\u2014especially during approaches to major airports\u2014leading to immediate scrutiny of air traffic control operations. Reports indicate that only one staff member was managing helicopter traffic alongside active runway operations, which has been described as &#8220;not normal.&#8221; Additionally, just a day prior to the crash, another flight had to perform a go-around due to an automated collision warning caused by a helicopter obstructing its path. Critics on the left are attempting to hold Trump\u2019s transportation secretary accountable for the incident (despite him being newly appointed), while also cautioning against politicizing this tragedy.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has attributed blame for the deadly crash partly on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies before introducing Sean Duffy as his Secretary of Transportation\u2014a choice that raises questions. Some argue that DEI initiatives may have contributed to this situation; Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker criticized Trump as &#8220;unfit&#8221; during crises due to his focus on DEI within the FAA\u2014even though Trump&#8217;s concerns about these policies predate this accident.<\/p>\n<p>Historically speaking, under Barack Obama\u2019s administration, FAA began hiring individuals with what they termed \u201ctargeted disabilities\u201d aimed at fostering diversity within air traffic operations. These targeted disabilities include severe physical or psychiatric conditions and intellectual disabilities; candidates could be hired through non-competitive methods designed for maximum diversity.<\/p>\n<p>However, these hiring practices have faced criticism: over ten years ago under Obama\u2019s leadership more than 1,000 qualified applicants were dismissed because they did not meet diversity criteria despite their qualifications being strong enough otherwise.<\/p>\n<p>The FAA has recently acknowledged significant understaffing issues leading current controllers into overwork situations where safety could be compromised\u2014prompting some operational slowdowns or halts altogether.<\/p>\n<p>In response to these challenges following the recent crash on January 22nd Trump issued directives aimed at reversing Biden-era FAA hiring policies prioritizing DEI over safety standards\u2014emphasizing competence as paramount when selecting personnel responsible for aviation safety.<\/p>\n<p>While it remains unclear how much influence air traffic control had in this tragic event or if those hired under DEI were indeed less qualified than others available\u2014the question arises: would you feel safe entrusting your life with someone whose qualifications might be questionable? Given past improvements made towards aviation safety through redundancy measures established over decades\u2014it is crucial we maintain such standards without compromising them merely for appearances\u2019 sake amidst ongoing discussions surrounding inclusivity versus competency requirements within critical roles like air traffic control management<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2397397,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Donald-Trump-40.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[49565,44837,4133,49566,3634],"class_list":["post-2397396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-dc-air-collision","tag-executive-orders","tag-news","tag-sobering-quote","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Donald-Trump-40.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2397396"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2397400,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397396\/revisions\/2397400"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2397397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2397396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2397396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2397396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}