(NewsNation) — A former Federal Aviation Administration official said diversity has “nothing to do” with air traffic control hiring, adding he takes exception to President Donald Trump’s claim it may have contributed to the deadly collision between a passenger jet and military helicopter Wednesday.
“There are very strict requirements for air traffic control. It’s a two-year process. It’s intensive. It’s a lot of training,” Randy Babbitt, who served as the 16th administrator of the FAA, told NewsNation.
“You don’t just go from the end of your two years to Chicago-O’Hare,” he said.
Trump attacked the FAA’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies Thursday, claiming the agency had committed to adding employees with the “most severe” disabilities because they are part of the “most underrepresented” portion of the American workforce.
He added air traffic controllers needed to be “geniuses.”
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However, Trump later said there is no evidence the collision could be blamed on DEI hires.
“It just could have been,” the president said.
Babbitt pushed back on Trump, who blamed former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama for DEI policies.
“I would take great exception. I would also note that there were four years between Obama and Biden when President Trump was president, so I don’t know what action he took there, but he certainly was in existence,” he said.
When it comes to diversity in the FAA, Babbitt said it does not weigh heavier than skill.
“Airlines hire a lot of people, but not all of them are going to be pilots. The FAA hires a lot of people, not all of them can be controllers,” he said. “They have very, very high standards to be an air traffic controller, and that’s important to remember. Diversity has nothing to do with it.”
