Top Republican Overseeing FAA Says DEI Didn't Have 'Anything to Do' With DC Plane Crash

The top Republican overseeing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has asserted that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies did not have "anything to do" with the Washington, DC, plane crash following unfounded claims from lawmakers.

Missouri Rep. Sam Graves, who chairs the House Transportation Committee and supervises the FAA, pushed back against President Donald Trump's assertion that previously instated DEI policies could be blamed for the deadly crash, as reported by Politico.

"I don't think it had anything to do with this particular accident. I have concerns about DEI within the FAA and for that matter all the transportation agencies, but I've had that concern now for years," Graves told the outlet.

The representative stated that he believed it would be wise to wait until the investigation concludes to decide if legislative action is needed.

During a press conference Thursday, Trump pulled from a 2024 Fox News article on the FAA's decision to hire more air traffic controllers with disabilities, mistakenly citing the article as more recent, as a suggested cause for the crash.

"It says FAA ... says people with severe disabilities are most underrepresented segment of the workforce, [they] said, 'They want them in, and they want them, they can be air traffic controllers.' I don't think so. This was January 14, so that was a week before I entered office. They put a big push to put diversity into the FAA's program," Trump said, according to The Guardian.

The policy in reference was actually announced during Trump's first term in 2019, and internet archives reviewed by the Washington Post indicate that these policies were never changed during his presidency.

Despite no evidence to support Trump's suggestion, several Republican lawmakers joined in on his claims. Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles raised the question, "Did DEI play a role in this type of thing?" during an interview with Fox Business.

All 67 passengers and crew members on board the American Airlines flight and Army Black Hawk helicopter are believed to have died in the crash. The investigation remains ongoing.

Originally published by Latin Times.