President Donald Trump and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are locked in a heated public dispute over air traffic control standards and hiring practices, following a deadly plane collision near Washington, D.C., and revelations about FAA hiring initiatives.
President Trump has repeatedly emphasized the need for the highest standards in air traffic control, citing The New York Times report that identified 503 “significant” air traffic control lapses in Fiscal Year 2023.
Last week, Trump signed a presidential memorandum to halt the Biden administration’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) hiring programs within the FAA, which reportedly included recruiting individuals with “severe intellectual” disabilities, psychiatric issues, and other physical or mental conditions.
“For an air traffic controller, we want the brightest, the smartest, the sharpest … and that’s what we’re going to have,” Trump said during a press conference. He criticized the previous administration for prioritizing diversity over merit, arguing that such practices compromised safety.
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Trump’s memorandum orders the Secretary of Transportation and FAA Administrator to immediately end DEI hiring programs and return to “non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring.” This move echoes actions taken during Trump’s first term, when his administration abolished the Obama-era “biographical questionnaire” that critics claimed favored less-qualified candidates over licensed pilots and science-proficient applicants.
However, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a potential 2028 presidential contender, fired back during his own press conference on Thursday. Buttigieg defended his record, stating, “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.”
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Buttigieg also criticized Trump’s leadership, saying, “As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying.” He accused Trump of undermining safety by firing and suspending key personnel who helped maintain aviation safety during the Biden administration. “Time for the President to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again,” Buttigieg added.
The clash comes in the wake of a fatal plane collision near Washington, D.C., which has reignited debates over aviation safety and the effectiveness of FAA policies.
Trump used the tragedy to criticize Buttigieg’s tenure, calling him a “disaster” and blaming him for operational failures at the Department of Transportation.
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