JD Vance backs Trump's DEI claims after D.C. plane crash
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Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news conference at the White House on Jan. 30 after a mid-air crash between American Airlines and a military helicopter. Photo: Celal Gunes /Anadolu via Getty Images
Vice President JD Vance defended President Trump's contention that the tragic plane collision in Washington, D.C., was connected to diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices within the Federal Aviation Administration.
Driving the news: "The president made very clear that he wasn't blaming anybody, but he was being very explicit about the fact that DEI policies have led our air traffic controllers to be short staffed," Vance said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures." "That is a scandal."
- Trump did not provide evidence to back up his claims during a Thursday afternoon press conference where he railed against his predecessors and DEI initiatives, and drew widespread condemnation from Democrats and industry representatives.
- There are widespread shortages of air traffic controllers — but there's no evidence that DEI hiring policies have impacted aviation safety.
- U.S. Census Bureau and IPUMS statistics show air traffic controllers and airfield operations specialists are predominately male and white.
Driving the news: But Vance said during the interview that the "DEI regime" of the Biden administration led to air traffic control not hiring "the best and the brightest."
- He claimed the "elimination of DEI hires and DEI policies" will allow the FAA to hire "the air traffic controllers that we need."
- Vance argued air traffic controllers were not being hired because of "the color of their skin," claiming there is a "very direct connection between the policies of the last administration and short-staffed air traffic controllers."
Reality check: The standards to be certified as an air traffic controller are "not based on race or gender," said Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, in a Friday statement.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy gave no evidence that DEI initiatives led to staffing shortages or safety concerns on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, but he said the COVID-19 pandemic had a "huge impact" on hiring and training.
Zoom in: A 2023 inspector general report found that the pandemic prompted training pauses for nearly two years, significantly increasing air traffic controller certification times.
- Training can take more than three years, according to the report, which said the FAA has taken "limited efforts to ensure adequate controller staffing."
- Staffing did increase from pandemic levels under the Biden administration, per NATCA and FAA data.
- But Daniels told CBS just 10,800 certified controllers are doing the job when there should be 14,335.
- An internal FAA report said one controller was working two jobs at the time of the crash, AP reported. The second air traffic controller had left early that evening.
Catch up quick: Trump ordered a review of federal aviation hiring on Thursday, calling for a "systematic assessment of any deterioration in hiring standards and aviation safety standards and protocols during the Biden administration."
- The hiring language Trump railed against was included in FAA regulations during his first term and was promoted on the agency's website since 2013, according to the AP. The Trump administration removed it shortly after he returned to the White House.
Go deeper: What to know about the victims of the D.C. plane crash
