Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., questioned whether diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives may have played a role in Wednesday’s deadly aircraft collision over the Potomac River—the latest move from Ogles that could be seen as an attempt to pander to President Donald Trump as the congressman faces an ongoing FBI probe.
Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., in the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, December 19, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll ... [+]
Ogles floated the possibility in an interview with Fox Business Thursday, raising the possibility that “human error,” an “equipment failure” or “DEI” may have contributed.
Trump, while delivering remarks on the crash during a press conference Thursday, also referenced DEI, telling reporters he wanted to “point out” the Federal Aviation Administration’s “diversity push . . . includes focus on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities.”
Dismantling DEI initiatives in both the public and private sectors have become a prominent target for Trump since he took office last week—but there’s no evidence they were a factor in Wednesday’s crash and officials have not released information about what may have caused it as the investigation is ongoing, though Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday it was “absolutely” preventable.
Ogles’ comments came after he introduced resolutions in recent weeks related to two other pet issues for Trump—one would amend the Constitution to allow Trump to serve a third term and another, titled the “Make Greenland Great Again Act,” would declare congressional support for Trump’s proposal to buy the Danish territory.
Ogles’ apparent appeals to Trump come as he is under investigation into his campaign finance practices after reporting he made a $320,000 personal loan to his campaign then revised his paperwork to state that he made a $20,000 loan.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash, which officials deemed a recovery operation on Thursday after no survivors were found in overnight rescue efforts. Sixty-four people were on board an American Airlines commercial flight when it collided with an Army helicopter carrying three soldiers over the Potomac River as the jet was approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport just before 9 p.m. EST Wednesday. It’s the deadliest U.S. plane crash since the November 2021 American Airlines crash in New York that killed all 260 passengers on board.
Republicans have linked DEI to several other disasters in recent years, including the Los Angeles fires and last year’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, arguing, without evidence, that DEI initiatives in the Democratic-led cities’ governments drew away from resources that could have been used to prevent the disasters.
Trump has made several moves designed to eliminate DEI initiatives in the federal government and private sector since taking office. A directive titled “Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation,” instructs the FAA “to immediately return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring.” Federal agencies are required to set recruitment and employment goals for people with disabilities. Other Trump executive orders directing all agencies to cease DEI initiatives and put all DEI-specific employees on paid leave. He also ordered agencies to verify that federal contractors don’t “operate any programs promoting DEI that violate any applicable federal anti-discrimination laws.” Alluding to potential legal action against the private sector, all federal agencies must also identify “up to nine potential civil compliance investigations” of private sector entities, including publicly traded corporations, nonprofits and foundations, state and local bar and medical associations, and institutes of higher education with endowments over $1 billion.