US transport secretary reacts to plane crashes with ban on celebrating diversity
Donald Trump’s administration is blaming diversity for two plane crashes that killed 74 people in the USA this week.
The President suggested the recruitment of air traffic controllers with ‘severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities’ could be responsible for one crash on Wednesday.
He described the theory as ‘common sense’ after the mid-air collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter in Washington DC, in which 67 people died.
After an air ambulance crashed in Philadelphia, killing six people on board and one on the ground on Friday, his Transport Secretary announced a ban on celebrations of identity in the department.
Posting on X, Sean Duffy said: ‘Effective immediately, the Department of Transportation will no longer participate in celebrations based on immutable traits or any other identity-based observances.
‘These distractions do nothing to keep planes in the air, trains on the tracks, or ports and highways secure. In the wake of two devastating plane crashes, my focus is singular: enforcing the highest standards of safety and accountability.
‘From now on, everyday of every month we celebrate transportation, beautiful infrastructure, and safety.’
Diversity has marginally increased in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the last decade.
In 2016, Barack Obama’s last year in office, 59% of workers were white men while people with certain disability targeted for recruitment made up 0.7%. In 2023, those figures were 55% and 2%.
Responding to Trump’s claims, Pete Buttigieg, Transport Secretary under Joe Biden, said: ‘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.
‘President Trump now oversees the military and the FAA. One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe.
‘Time for the President to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again.’
One of Trump’s first acts as president was to ban all federal diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEI) programmes.
His continued targeting of diversity, before any investigation into the crashes is complete, has drawn criticism from disabilities rights groups.
Maria Town, president of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), said: ‘The president is deliberately spreading falsehoods to demonize the quarter of American adults who live with disabilities rather than directing federal resources towards ensuring such a devastating tragedy never happens again.’
Amid the blame game, a transgender military pilot had to post a video proving she was alive after rumours spread online that she was flying the helicopter that crashed into a jet near Reagan National Airport.
The Black Hawk helicopter was rehearsing a ‘doomsday’ mission to evacuate top government officials in the outbreak of nuclear war, terror attacks or natural disasters when it crashed.
Jo Ellis, from the Virginia Army National Guard, was wrongly identified as the pilot.
Ellis said: ‘It is insulting to the families to try to tie this to some sort of political agenda. They don’t deserve that. I don’t deserve this. And I hope that you all know that I am alive and well, and this should be sufficient for you all to end all the rumors.’
The pilot has since been confirmed as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, who was joined by Staff Sgt Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, and Captain Rebecca Lobach.
Lobach’s name was only released on Saturday after her family had initially requested the Army keep it from the public.
Her family said: ‘She was a bright star in all our lives. Rebecca was a warrior and would not hesitate to defend her country in battle.’
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