Vance: ‘Elimination Of DEI Hires And DEI Policies’ Allows Us To Actually ‘Hire The Air Traffic Controllers That We Need’

Emergency response units search the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River after the plane crashed on approach to Reagan National Airport on January 30, 2025

Vice President JD Vance doubled down on President Donald Trump’s sentiments regarding the tragic plane crash in Washington, D.C., citing DEI policies as a reason for short staffing within air traffic control, leading to the tragic crash.

“[Trump] was being very explicit about the fact that DEI policies have led our air traffic controllers to be very short staffed: That is a scandal,” Vance stated on Sunday. “Thankfully it is a scandal that the president stopped.”

“So, there are two big issues here: No. 1, most importantly, again, you’ve got to have the right people in air traffic control. Air traffic control is short-staffed. And I think the elimination of DEI hires and DEI policies will allow us actually to hire the air traffic controllers that we need,” he continued.

Vance went on to express his condolences to the 67 individuals who lost their lives on Wednesday after a blackhawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight, plunging the wreckage into the Potomac River.

“Our hearts go out to everybody who was affected by it,” Vance stated, adding that he has spoken with the victims’ families.

“But I do think that we also have to do a better job at the policy so that we make sure that aviation is as safe as it possibly can. Now, we haven’t had an aviation accident like this in about 15, 20 years. We want to make sure that we try to never have an aviation accident like this again, or at least make them as minimal as possible, And that does, I think, mean that we have to talk about the policies now,” Vance stated.

Vance added that the Obama and Biden administration contributed to the current air traffic controller shortage, stating “there have been a number of lawsuits from people who would like to become air traffic controllers against the Obama and Biden administrations, who basically said, We were told, not even to apply because of the color of our skin, because they were white people who wanted to be air traffic controllers. And under the regime of the Biden administration, they weren’t welcome.”

VP VANCE: “There is a very direct connection between the policies of the last administration and short-staffed air traffic controllers.” pic.twitter.com/CPdTAsWj7n

— Off The Press (@OffThePress1) February 2, 2025

“Well, what does that mean? No. 1, it means that we don’t have the best and the brightest sometimes in these positions. But even more importantly than that, even when we do get really good people, they’re going to be way overstressed because they’re working long hours because air traffic controllers are short-staffed.”

Additionally, the National Air Traffic Controllers (NATCA) president highlighted the shortage during a Saturday interview on CNN.

“I’m here to tell you there are not enough air traffic controllers, and we absolutely have to continue addressing it. We do thank Secretary Duffy, he did lift the hiring freeze on air traffic controllers now, but there’s only 10,800 certified controllers in the entire country right now,” stated NATCA Nick Daniels.

“We also want to work with President Trump on the recruitment of the best and brightest,” he added.

The air traffic control crew at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in charge during the deadly D.C. crash was understaffed during the time of the crash, with one individual reportedly doing the work of two separate jobs.

“We know that normally there would be somebody in the tower handling helicopter traffic and someone else handling plane traffic, because those pilots speak on different frequencies,” stated Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) on Friday.

“Those responsibilities should have been shared,” added Representative Troy Nehls (R-Texas). “It was one person doing that job.”

Nehls shared that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had known about the staffing issues, and that the agency understood that the air traffic controller working during the crash was “not only dealing with the helicopter flying up and down the Potomac but was also directing aircraft.”

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