{"id":2398647,"date":"2025-02-04T11:03:01","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T16:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sean-duffy-details-steps-to-upgrade-air-safety-following-dc-crash-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-02-04T11:05:11","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T16:05:11","slug":"sean-duffy-details-steps-to-upgrade-air-safety-following-dc-crash-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sean-duffy-details-steps-to-upgrade-air-safety-following-dc-crash-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Sean Duffy details steps to \u2018upgrade\u2019 air safety following DC crash &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/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%2Fsean-duffy-details-steps-to-upgrade-air-safety-following-dc-crash-washington-examiner%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=2398647&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>Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy addressed \u2064public concerns about air safety following a tragic plane crash involving an\u200d American Airlines flight and a Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., which resulted in 67 fatalities. Duffy emphasized that <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">air travel remains teh safest transportation mode<\/a>, although he acknowledged meaningful\u2064 staffing shortages in \u2064U.S. air traffic \u2062control facilities, which are largely understaffed post-COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>he \u2062indicated that the Trump administration has plans to enhance\u200b air \u2064traffic controller recruitment,\u2062 aiming to attract highly qualified candidates and\u200b address existing gaps in\u200c aviation safety systems. Duffy pointed out that previous administration policies may have hindered training for new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-federal-investigators-reveal-likely-reason-for-helicopter-crash-that-killed-kobe-bryant\/\" title=\"BREAKING: Federal Investigators Reveal Likely Reason For Helicopter ... That Killed Kobe Bryant\">air traffic controllers<\/a>, and he urged Congress to allocate funding for necessary safety upgrades in the aviation system. Despite the recent crash, he reassured the public about the safety of air travel and called for strict prioritization of safety over other considerations such as diversity initiatives\u2062 in hiring practices.  <\/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\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Sean Duffy details steps to &lsquo;upgrade&rsquo; air safety following DC crash<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1975637\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Transportation Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/sean-duffy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Sean Duffy<\/a> sought to quell concerns over airline travel following the recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/plane-crashes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">plane crash<\/a> near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., assuring it is still the safest form of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/air-travel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">travel<\/a> while expressing a desire to make it even safer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The crash between an American Airlines flight and a military Black Hawk helicopter, which killed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/3305194\/first-commercial-plane-crash-airspace-black-hawk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">67 people<\/a>, occurred hours after Duffy was sworn in as the Trump administration&rsquo;s secretary of transportation. In the aftermath of the crash, a report revealed that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/31\/business\/air-traffic-controllers-understaffed.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">almost all of the United States&rsquo;s 313 <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 ... ...\">air traffic control<\/a> facilities were below the recommended staffing level<\/a>. However, Duffy contended that this statistic should not make anyone scared to take commercial flights.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3305642\/sean-duffy-first-day-transportation-secretary-triumph-tragedy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">HOW SEAN DUFFY&rsquo;S FIRST DAY AT DOT WENT FROM TRIUMPH TO TRAGEDY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;So no, the airspace is safe, air travel is the safest form of travel in the country, so you can travel and feel good about it on American airplanes,&rdquo; Duffy said on Fox News&rsquo;s <em>The Ingraham Angle<\/em>. &ldquo;But the staffing is too short, and we lost a lot of air traffic controllers when schools were shut down during COVID. Also, under the Biden administration, they didn&rsquo;t let these new graduates of the academy from Air Traffic Control actually train inside of towers.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 100%; max-width: 640px; max-height: 360px; min-width: 320px; min-height: 180px; overflow: hidden;\">\n<div style=\"position: relative; width: 100%; padding-top: 56.25%;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/share.grabien.com\/share.php?id=2786108&amp;userid=11311&amp;loginid=9421&amp;playercolor=%23000000&amp;playersize=auto&amp;code=3a6195d6123a15a19a1ce8af8a645eb3\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0px;\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Duffy then detailed how the Trump administration has &ldquo;a plan in place&rdquo; to surge the employment of air traffic controllers, with the aim of recruiting &ldquo;the smartest men and women in the country.&rdquo; The transportation secretary also stressed the need to address &ldquo;cracks in the system&rdquo; of airline safety and called for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Congress<\/a> to provide the necessary funds to &ldquo;upgrade&rdquo; the system.<\/p>\n<p>Laura Ingraham asked about President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a> hypothetically taking a commercial flight to demonstrate to the public that they are safe. Duffy contended that such a decision would be up to the commander in chief but pointed to how he and other members of the Trump administration frequently fly on commercial flights.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is the safest mode of transportation, and again, I think we should understand that as a public, but then also demand that we can&rsquo;t stand to have these crashes,&rdquo; Duffy said. &ldquo;These are unacceptable, and they expect leadership from the Department of Transportation to say, &lsquo;We don&rsquo;t care about DEI, we don&rsquo;t care about social justice, we don&rsquo;t care about the environment, we care about safety.&rsquo; That&rsquo;s the mission, and Donald Trump has said &lsquo;make sure safety is paramount and drive that through this department,&rsquo; which is what we&rsquo;ve been doing.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Following <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3305573\/trump-rails-against-dei-at-press-conference-on-cause-of-fatal-dc-plane-crash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Trump&rsquo;s criticism of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives possibly playing a role in the Potomac plane crash<\/a>, Duffy assessed that the previous administration was focused on &ldquo;social justice&rdquo; and &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3308198\/sean-duffy-claims-biden-administration-focused-on-social-justice-over-safety\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">things that don&lsquo;t matter in regards to safety<\/a>.&rdquo; He also indicated that entrance exam scores were lowered to get people into air traffic control during the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/united-airlines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">United Airlines<\/a> flight from Houston, Texas, to New York <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3308155\/united-airlines-flight-evacuated-before-takeoff-engine-issue\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">was evacuated before takeoff when flames started coming out of one of the plane&rsquo;s engines<\/a>. The Houston Fire Department assisted in deboarding all 104 passengers off the plane, with no injuries reported, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HoustonFire\/status\/1886082902976270680\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">statement<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1975637\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1975637\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sean Duffy outlines plans to enhance air safety after DC crash<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2632,"featured_media":2398648,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Duffy-air-travel-scaled-1024x684.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[47628,49561,45268,32076],"class_list":["post-2398647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-air-safety","tag-dc-crash","tag-sean-duffy","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Duffy-air-travel-scaled-1024x684.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2398647","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\/2632"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2398647"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2398647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2398651,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2398647\/revisions\/2398651"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2398648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2398647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2398647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2398647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}