In the late evening hours of Jan. 29,Seok Bong Actor | Adult Movies Online a U.S. Army helicopter collided with a descending American Airlines passenger plane over the Potomac River en route to the Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. There were no survivors.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — which is experiencing a severe vacancy of top leadership positions — has come under fire for suspected negligence amid a staffing and funding deficit. The head of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association has said its too early to speculate on the cause, while the National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation. Currently, CNN reports the FAA has open listings for: associate administrator of airports, an associate administrator for security and hazardous materials safety, chief counsel, assistant administrator of communications, assistant administrator of government and industry affairs, and assistant administrator for policy, international affairs and environment.
The lack of leadership up top may have been avoidable. One month prior, former FAA head and Biden appointee Mike Whitaker announced he would be resigning early from his position, officially leaving the office on the day of Trump's inauguration years before his term was over. With the position open, many report Elon Musk, who has become a key figure in the early weeks of Trump's presidency and previously pressured Whitaker to resign from the FAA, has been vetting and providing input on Trump's new pick. Despite a wave of appointments following Trump's swearing in, no selections had been made.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Musk threatened to sue the FAA in September after the agency fined his space transportation company SpaceX more than $630,000 for failing to follow its license requirements during two launches in 2023 — the FAA had also fined Musk-owned telecommunications satellite company Starlink. Recently appointed as leader of the new government advisory body DOGE, ostensibly tasked with ridding the government of superfluous spending and "corrupt" bureaucracy, Musk has been a vocal critic of the transportation agency and advocated for its "radical reform."
Experts say that for years, under both the Trump and Biden administrations, the FAA has been chronically underfunded, and that the current state of investments could threaten passenger safety. In 2024, President Joe Biden signed an FAA bipartisan reauthorization bill, delineating continued investments in air travel infrastructure. The bill included allocations for advancements in runway technology to avoid collisions, as well as a requirement that the FAA train and fill 3,000 open air traffic controller positions.
The Trump administration has largely avoided questions surrounding the FAA's former leadership and funding reality, with newly appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy — sworn in just hours before the devastating impact — ignoring press inquiries about a leadership vacuum in the transportation department. The administration later announced Chris Rocheleau, former chief operating officer of the National Business Aviation Association, would serve as acting FAA commissioner in a press conference Thursday.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
In that same press conference, Trump nonsensically alleged that the deadly incident could have been the result of "diversity hiring" under the Biden administration. "We've had a much higher standard than anybody else. And there are things where you have to go by brain power, where you have to go by psychological quality... Biden went by a standard that is the complete opposite," Trump told the press. "Certainly, for an air traffic controller, we want the brightest, the smartest, the sharpest. We want somebody that is psychologically superior."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Taking to X, former secretary Pete Buttigieg, who was also the target of blame by Trump, wrote: "President Trump now oversees the military and the FAA. One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe. Time for the President to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again."
Topics Elon Musk Government Politics
'Last Jedi' star played the best Pokémon Go prank on director Rian JohnsonWall Street Journal admits 'millennials' is a 'snotty term'Google debuts Google Go, its lightweight search for slow connections11 gifts every home cook wants but can't affordIvan Chermayeff, designer of America's recognisable logos, has diedWoman attempts yoga pose on a log over a river and it does not go wellHere's how to get your Spotify 2017 listening historyInstagram's new Story Highlights feature lets you save Stories foreverNancy and Jonathan from 'Stranger Things' are now red carpet official IRLSatellite photos show huge influx of Rohingya refugees in BangladeshDwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is getting a Hollywood star and about time, tooLifeprint's new AR printer prints bigger 3x4.5Knitwear brand selling fullSkeptical 6 year old shades Old St. Nick with a savage letterWinter is coming to the U.S., but will there be snow, or just cold?'The Walking Dead' proved it'll never kill Daryl Dixon in episode 7Feast your eyes on these 'Star Wars' treasures from the 'Last Jedi' junket2 Airbnb hosts could be fined up to $148,000 for illegally renting out their apartmentsKnitwear brand selling fullGerman pilots have stopped more than 200 flights to deport Afghan refugees Jeff Bezos is getting divorced and of course people are making Alexa jokes Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, and Danai Gurira won the Golden Globes elevator cam Everything you need to know about wax play during sex Man cleans filthy national park bathroom, sends Trump $28 bill Most watched TV shows and movies of the week (Aug 27) Who's behind the egg that broke the Instagram world record? What is revenge travel and why is everyone talking about it? Corsair's new monitor can bend on demand Watching these young sisters cover rock songs will make your day Anderson Cooper asked Alexandria Ocasio Impossible burger will upgrade itself like an app until you quit beef Spiders in the sky appear to 'rain' in Brazil, but there's more to it Etsy sellers are officially launching a guild to protect merchants Trump blatantly lies about being in the White House, confuses everyone 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Season 3 review: Not just for Trekkies The 'and it shows' meme is getting weirder by the day Instagram meme warns users of precise location danger Great work, internet: Jeff Bezos' alleged sext is a meme now Canadian air traffic controllers send pizza to U.S. colleagues working without pay Wordle today: Here's the August 31 Wordle answer and hints
2.747s , 8229.75 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Seok Bong Actor | Adult Movies Online】,Unobstructed Information Network