©  Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press

President Trump faced pushback Thursday after he blamed Democrats and “diversity hiring” for a fatal collision at Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) that claimed the lives of more than 60 people.

Recovery efforts were still underway in the Potomac River when Trump gave a press conference to speculate about how the Biden administration and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies had weakened safety protocols around air traffic control.

Trump railed against “Obama, Biden and the Democrats,” saying “their policy was horrible and their politics was even worse.”

He also singled out former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

• “Do you know how badly everything has run since he’s run the Department of Transportation?” Trump said. “He’s a disaster…he’s just got a good line of bulls—.”

• Buttigieg responded over X: “Despicable. As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying.”

Trump went on to blame “diversity hiring” for the crash, while admitting there hasn’t been enough time yet to fully investigate.

•“ We did not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas, and I think we’ll probably state those opinions now,” he said.

• When asked by a reporter how he determined diversity hiring was responsible for the crash before an investigation had been conducted, Trump said: “Because I have common sense and unfortunately a lot of people don’t.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) blasted the remarks:

“Bodies are still being pulled from the Potomac,” he posted on X. “The President and extreme MAGA Republicans are blaming women and people of color for the deadly plane crash. At the same time, they are dismantling the Federal Aviation Administration as we know it. Disgusting.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Trump’s “idle speculation … just turns your stomach.”

GOP lawmakers also signaled they were caught off guard by the president’s remarks.

“I don’t know what DEI would have to do with it, but shortages of air traffic controllers, certain protocols that were being done at the airport,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) told The Hill.

“This is pretty fresh,” Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) said, pointing to the NTSB when asked to weigh in on Trump’s latest comments.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order saying the Transportation secretary and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator must “immediately stop Biden DEI hiring programs and return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring.”

American Eagle Flight 5342 out of Wichita collided with a Black Hawk helicopter upon descent into DCA in what was the first fatal crash of a commercial airline jet in the U.S. since 2009.

• The 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the plane are believed to be dead. Figure skaters returning from the National Development Camp in Kansas were among the passengers on the flight.

• Three Army soldiers — a captain, staff sergeant and chief warrant officer — died in the helicopter.

• The hundreds of emergency responders that launched search-and-rescue operations are now at work recovering bodies of the victims.

Trump suggested the helicopter crew could be at fault.

“You could have turned the helicopter substantially, you could have stopped the helicopter,” he said. “For some reason it just kept going and then made a slight turn at the very end and by that time, it was too late.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said: “It was a fairly experienced crew. It’s a tragedy, a horrible loss of life.”

Hegseth grounded the Army battalion involved in the operation of the Black Hawk helicopter for 48 hours as investigations get underway.

Trump on Thursday appointed Christopher Rocheleau, a 22-year veteran of the agency, as acting administrator for the FAA. 

Former FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker, who was confirmed in October 2023, resigned when Trump took office. FAA administrators are confirmed by the Senate to serve five years.

DCA reopened Thursday morning.

The crash is certain to provoke investigations and changes to air traffic policy in the nation’s capital, where Army training flights are ubiquitous and heavy air traffic congestion is the norm.

The Associated Press reports that air traffic control staffing at DCA was “not normal for the time of day and configuration of traffic.”

Newly confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he believed the crash was “preventable.”

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) asked Daniel Driscoll, Trump’s nominee for Army secretary, what he would do to make training flights safer.

“I think we might need to look at where is an appropriate time to take training risk, and it may not be near an airport like Reagan,” Driscoll said.

Kansas lawmakers said they were heartbroken.

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) called the incident “an unbearable sorrow.”

“Wichita is located in the heart of our nation, and today we are grieving,” said Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.).

Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kan.) said the plane crash “will be a tragedy that touches our community.”

Read more: 

• Five things to know about the fatal crash near Reagan National.

• Five takeaways from Trump’s briefing.

• What to know about the military helicopter involved in the crash.

• Military promotions, academic institutions to no longer consider race, sex.

• Fourth quarter economic growth eased to an annualized rate of 2.3 percent, slightly lower than expected, as the economy heads into uncertain territory.

   

• Israel will delay the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails amid chaotic scenes surrounding Hamas’s release of the Israeli hostages it kidnapped from Israel and held since its attack on Oct. 7, 2023. 

©  Graeme Jennings, Associated Press

EVEN AS HE PUTS GOP LEADERS between a rock and a hard place on some issues, President Trump is perhaps the most important force in keeping the razor-thin GOP majority together as Republicans plan big action.

Take it from the House Republican Whip Tom Emmer (Minn.), who predicted that Trump will be a “significant force” in getting Republicans on the same page.

“I’m pretty sure you’re not going to want to be the one in your district where the President shows up to tell everybody you’re the one blocking the advancement of his agenda,” Emmer told The Hill’s Emily Brooks in a one-on-one at the House GOP retreat at Trump National Doral resort this week.

Emmer pointed to Trump’s influence in helping Johnson get reelected to the Speakership on the first ballot on the opening day of Congress. Trump called initial holdouts GOP Reps. Keith Self (Texas) and Ralph Norman (S.C.) to help sway them to switch their votes and back Johnson.

“This time, with 218 members — soon to be 217 and no margin for error — the game begins and ends in the House. The president sets the tone, the House has to perform, and then the Senate will have to get on board,” Emmer said.

Read more reporting from Brooks in a full piece at TheHill.com tonight.

💡Perspectives:

• The Wall Street Journal: Tulsi Gabbard, Edward Snowden and Intelligence.

• RealClearPolitics: Gabbard is not a Russian apologist.

• The Nation: RFK Jr.’s family dissents. I hope the Democrats do too.

• The Hill: Who will keep the parasitic billionaire in check?

Read more: 

• GOP leaves Florida frustrated with lack of final plan for Trump agenda.

• Trump makes his first moves on education, but no McMahon hearing yet.

• Trump World learns how to deal with Musk.

KASH PATEL

Trump’s pick to lead the FBI entered the day facing questions about his list of “government gangsters” and whether he’d use his position to retaliate against the president’s political enemies.

Patel pledged not to abuse his investigative power.

“I will remain focused on the FBI core mission that is to investigate fully wherever there is a constitutional factual basis to do so, and to never make a prosecutorial decision,” he said. “That is solely the providence of the Department of Justice and the Attorney General.”

Democrats repeatedly pressed Patel on his past public statements.

The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch writes: “Democratic lawmakers cited numerous controversial statements Patel has made on podcasts and online, but Patel demurred at being associated with his past remarks or accused Democrats of taking his words out of context.”

Patel entered the hearing with a bit of momentum.

He published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal laying out how he’d “rebuild trust” in the FBI.

And he was introduced by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who has at times  waffled on Trump’s picks, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Tillis created a “Bingo” card to mock Democratic concerns about Patel.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.

Kennedy’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) hangs in the balance after a second day of skeptical questioning from Republicans and Democrats alike.

Senate HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a doctor and vaccine advocate, addressed Kennedy directly at the close of Thursday’s hearing.

“I’ve been struggling with your nomination,” he said.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), a Senate swing vote who has shown an openness to working with Trump, expressed doubt that Kennedy would have the votes after his performance in front of the Finance panel on Wednesday.

“I’m not really sure how much support’s going to emerge after that,” he said.

Kennedy again faced questions on vaccines and abortion.

He was pressed by Republicans, such as Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), about his pro-abortion views.

And he was pressed by Democrats, such as Sen. Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), about whether he would ban mifepristone, the pill commonly used for medical abortions.

“I will implement [Trump’s] policy,” Kennedy responded.

Trump’s pick to be director of national intelligence faced questions about her defense of Edward Snowden, her meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and her past opposition to a government spying program, among other things.

There is uncertainty around whether Gabbard will even make it out of  committee, with Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) undecided. Gabbard can’t afford to lose any votes on the Senate Intelligence Committee, where Republicans hold a one seat majority.

Gabbard has her Republican defenders:

Current Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and former Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) offered vigorous defenses for Gabbard.

“Let me remind everyone that Ms. Gabbard has served in our Army for more than two decades, she has multiple combat tours, and she still wears the uniform today,” Cotton said.

“I refuse to question the qualifications of a woman who has worn the uniform of her nation for 22 years and never taken it off,” Burr added. “No fewer than five times did the Department of Defense review her security clearance and extended it, every single time.”

However, Gabbard repeatedly refused to call Snowden a traitor under pointed questioning from Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.).

“I was surprised because that doesn’t seem like a hard question on that. It wasn’t intended to be a trick question by any means,” Lankford said.

Democrats raged at Gabbard, with Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) repeatedly asking, “can’t we do better?”

“I’m questioning her judgment, that’s the issue that’s at stake here,” he said.

The conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board ran an op-ed ahead of the hearing similarly questioning Gabbard’s judgment.

DEMS PROTEST TRUMP ACTIONS

Democrats are taking out their frustrations with Trump on his nominees.

Senate Republicans advanced the nomination of Russell Vought to lead the White House budget office, while Democrats boycotted the meeting to protest the administration’s effort to freeze federal assistance programs.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Trump’s nominee to the United Nations, advanced out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but several Democrats withdrew their support to protest Trump’s freeze on foreign aid.

“I was inclined to vote for Elise Stefanik for U.N. ambassador, but…I’m not going to vote for nominees until it’s reversed,” said Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.).

©  Kevin Lamarque and Mark Schiefelbein, Associated Press

President Trump’s efforts to radically reshape the government and his offensive against federal workers have provoked confusion, chaos and outrage in Washington.

Some of Trump’s early orders are broad and thinly outlined, leaving for a wide array of interpretations.

Vice President Vance summed up Trump’s approach in an interview with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity:

“It’s all gas, no brakes,” Vance said.

• The broadly-worded memo from the White House budget office freezing federal loan assistance caught Republican senators completely by surprise. The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that several GOP lawmakers “hit the ceiling” and pressed the White House for answers upon learning of the order, although they were careful not to criticize Trump publicly.

The Office of Management and Budget later rescinded the memo, although the White House contends that the freeze remains in place. A federal judge is expected to issue a restraining order, putting the federal freeze on pause amid an onslaught of legal challenges.

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said the “lack of information” led to deep concern among his constituents who rely on public assistance.

“I think the lack of information is what captures people, that they would pick up the phone and call or email us. They don’t know what it means. Once they get the chance to ask the questions, the level of anxiety is significantly diminished,” he said.

• Trump’s sweeping federal aid freeze has fueled uncertainty in Washington and around the world.

The Hill’s Laura Kelly and Nathaniel Weixel report:

“The entire scope of Trump’s freeze on foreign aid and “stop work” orders to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), issued in an executive order on Jan. 20, is hard to fully comprehend, and it left aid groups, grantee recipients and lawmakers with more questions than answers.”

• The Trump administration’s proposed buyouts to all federal government employees is facing legal and logistical roadblocks.

The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch and Brett Samuels write:

“The offer’s vague language is igniting skepticism and calls for workers to reject the deal, while raising questions about whether the government has the legal authority to do it.”

There are many open questions about the buyout proposal, outlined here by The Hill’s Julia Mueller:

Who’s eligible?

How do the buyouts work?

Will there be legal challenges?

How could this impact the government’s day-to-day operations?

How is Elon Musk involved?

The Hill’s Elvia Lemon has a rundown here on all of Trump’s biggest moves to reshape the government so far.

💡Perspectives:

• New York: Did backlash really kill the Trump funding freeze?

• USA Today: Trump’s sledgehammer to the government is needed.

• The Hill: Trump’s inspector general purge declaws a government watchdog.

• The Nation: The uncertain fate of Guantánamo under Trump.

• American Prospect: Immigrants prepare for the worst.

• The Hill: Despite spending freeze, federal workers’ legal duties are clear.

Read more: 

• Trump’s return-to-work policy could impact a million federal workers.

• Democrats leave ’emergency’ meeting vowing ‘street fight.’

• Pelosi backs Ben Wikler for DNC chair.

Someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up to get your own copy: TheHill.com/Evening. Did I miss a story? Drop me a line. See you next time!