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The U.S. Coast Guard investigates aircraft wreckage on the Potomac River on January 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
"One thing is for sure—our air safety and disaster response relies on the same type of federal funding and resources that Donald Trump and his right-wing billionaire backers like Elon Musk have been moving to cut."
As President Donald Trump attempted to vilify diversity initiatives in the wake of the worst U.S. air disaster in decades, progressives warned that the true threat to aviation safety going forward is Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's shared goal of gutting the federal workforce and eliminating regulatory efforts that have helped make flying the nation's least dangerous form of transportation.
"We need to learn more about what happened and how to prevent this type of catastrophe in the future," Joel Payne, chief communications officer at MoveOn Civil Action, said in a statement Thursday. "But one thing is for sure—our air safety and disaster response relies on the same type of federal funding and resources that Donald Trump and his right-wing billionaire backers like Elon Musk have been moving to cut."
Echoing others, Payne noted since Trump's second term began less than two weeks ago, he implemented a hiring freeze that appears to include air traffic controllers and dismantled the Aviation Security Advisory Committee. Payne also pointed to Musk's role in leaving the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) without a permanent leader following the collision of a passenger jet and Army helicopter that killed 64 people.
"There are real consequences for the American people from the chaos and mismanagement that we have already seen since Trump took office," said Payne. "As we work to learn the lessons of this tragedy, we need Trump, his allies, and his administration to end their assault on the public services that are essential to keeping us safe."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) similarly argued that "what actually hurts aviation safety" is "purging the federal workforce of career public servants and experts who have spent their entire lives working to keep the American people safe."
"It's too early in the process for the crash to be definitively pinned on the policies of Trump and Musk. But if we want more airline disasters, Trump and Musk are on just the right collision course."
The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release a preliminary report on the deadly collision within 30 days as investigators work to determine the immediate causes of the catastrophic incident.
As Common Dreams reported, the FAA indicated Thursday that air traffic control staffing was "not normal" at the time of the collision. Air traffic control understaffing is a nationwide problem that analysts said could be exacerbated by the new administration's far-reaching attacks on federal workers and funding.
"The government is a complex and delicate system. Letting Elon Musk thrash around inside it like some silage-drunk bull in a red-cape factory will cause untold damage," The American Prospect's Ryan Cooper wrote Thursday. "The details are still being investigated. It's too early in the process for the crash to be definitively pinned on the policies of Trump and Musk. But if we want more airline disasters, Trump and Musk are on just the right collision course."
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
As President Donald Trump attempted to vilify diversity initiatives in the wake of the worst U.S. air disaster in decades, progressives warned that the true threat to aviation safety going forward is Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's shared goal of gutting the federal workforce and eliminating regulatory efforts that have helped make flying the nation's least dangerous form of transportation.
"We need to learn more about what happened and how to prevent this type of catastrophe in the future," Joel Payne, chief communications officer at MoveOn Civil Action, said in a statement Thursday. "But one thing is for sure—our air safety and disaster response relies on the same type of federal funding and resources that Donald Trump and his right-wing billionaire backers like Elon Musk have been moving to cut."
Echoing others, Payne noted since Trump's second term began less than two weeks ago, he implemented a hiring freeze that appears to include air traffic controllers and dismantled the Aviation Security Advisory Committee. Payne also pointed to Musk's role in leaving the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) without a permanent leader following the collision of a passenger jet and Army helicopter that killed 64 people.
"There are real consequences for the American people from the chaos and mismanagement that we have already seen since Trump took office," said Payne. "As we work to learn the lessons of this tragedy, we need Trump, his allies, and his administration to end their assault on the public services that are essential to keeping us safe."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) similarly argued that "what actually hurts aviation safety" is "purging the federal workforce of career public servants and experts who have spent their entire lives working to keep the American people safe."
"It's too early in the process for the crash to be definitively pinned on the policies of Trump and Musk. But if we want more airline disasters, Trump and Musk are on just the right collision course."
The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release a preliminary report on the deadly collision within 30 days as investigators work to determine the immediate causes of the catastrophic incident.
As Common Dreams reported, the FAA indicated Thursday that air traffic control staffing was "not normal" at the time of the collision. Air traffic control understaffing is a nationwide problem that analysts said could be exacerbated by the new administration's far-reaching attacks on federal workers and funding.
"The government is a complex and delicate system. Letting Elon Musk thrash around inside it like some silage-drunk bull in a red-cape factory will cause untold damage," The American Prospect's Ryan Cooper wrote Thursday. "The details are still being investigated. It's too early in the process for the crash to be definitively pinned on the policies of Trump and Musk. But if we want more airline disasters, Trump and Musk are on just the right collision course."
As President Donald Trump attempted to vilify diversity initiatives in the wake of the worst U.S. air disaster in decades, progressives warned that the true threat to aviation safety going forward is Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's shared goal of gutting the federal workforce and eliminating regulatory efforts that have helped make flying the nation's least dangerous form of transportation.
"We need to learn more about what happened and how to prevent this type of catastrophe in the future," Joel Payne, chief communications officer at MoveOn Civil Action, said in a statement Thursday. "But one thing is for sure—our air safety and disaster response relies on the same type of federal funding and resources that Donald Trump and his right-wing billionaire backers like Elon Musk have been moving to cut."
Echoing others, Payne noted since Trump's second term began less than two weeks ago, he implemented a hiring freeze that appears to include air traffic controllers and dismantled the Aviation Security Advisory Committee. Payne also pointed to Musk's role in leaving the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) without a permanent leader following the collision of a passenger jet and Army helicopter that killed 64 people.
"There are real consequences for the American people from the chaos and mismanagement that we have already seen since Trump took office," said Payne. "As we work to learn the lessons of this tragedy, we need Trump, his allies, and his administration to end their assault on the public services that are essential to keeping us safe."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) similarly argued that "what actually hurts aviation safety" is "purging the federal workforce of career public servants and experts who have spent their entire lives working to keep the American people safe."
"It's too early in the process for the crash to be definitively pinned on the policies of Trump and Musk. But if we want more airline disasters, Trump and Musk are on just the right collision course."
The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release a preliminary report on the deadly collision within 30 days as investigators work to determine the immediate causes of the catastrophic incident.
As Common Dreams reported, the FAA indicated Thursday that air traffic control staffing was "not normal" at the time of the collision. Air traffic control understaffing is a nationwide problem that analysts said could be exacerbated by the new administration's far-reaching attacks on federal workers and funding.
"The government is a complex and delicate system. Letting Elon Musk thrash around inside it like some silage-drunk bull in a red-cape factory will cause untold damage," The American Prospect's Ryan Cooper wrote Thursday. "The details are still being investigated. It's too early in the process for the crash to be definitively pinned on the policies of Trump and Musk. But if we want more airline disasters, Trump and Musk are on just the right collision course."