Summary

Two planes collided while taxiing at Reagan National Airport, one carrying lawmakers including Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who blamed the incident on Trump-era FAA staffing cuts.

The White House denied cuts occurred, despite confirmed reductions of 400 FAA positions in February.

Rep. Adriano Espaillat described feeling the impact and accused the administration of misleading the public about aviation safety.

The crash follows a series of safety failures at Reagan, including a fatal January collision and an air traffic control tower fight last week that led to arrests and firings.

  • floofloof@lemmy.ca
    139·
    4 days ago

    “There have been no cuts to air traffic controllers, safety personnel, or safety-critical positions at the FAA,” the White House official X account posted.

    That is, however, not exactly honest—even according to Trump’s own officials. In February, the administration erased 400 FAA roles, including positions that supported air safety. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the cuts that time, though he attempted to minimize them by highlighting the overall staffing of the agency, which Duffy claimed employs some 45,000 workers.

    The usual MAGA approach: lie and tell people the problem doesn’t exist, while making the problem worse. Deny all responsibility for the consequences of your actions while lecturing people about responsibility.