A midair collision near D.C. has raised concerns over FAA staffing, prompting scrutiny of air traffic control and aviation safety oversight.

Trump said he didn't know what caused the crash but "we have some very strong opinions and ideas."

Mike Whitaker, unanimously confirmed as the FAA administrator in October 2023, stepped down early from his five-year term on Jan. 20 when Trump took office and for 10 days the FAA declined to say who was running the agency on an acting basis. Trump has not yet named a permanent candidate to replace Whitaker.

Facing his first crisis just two days into the job, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy touted reforms sought by the president, who has lambasted DEI policies.

It appears that the first major air disaster in the U.S. since 2009 has occurred while the Federal Aviation Administration does not have a permanent leader.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy echoed Trump’s remarks about diversity programs, saying “only the best brightest” should hold federal aviation jobs. “We will not accept excuses,” Duffy said. “We will not accept passing the buck.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had been sworn in just hours before the deadly midair collision of a plane and helicopter near Washington, D.C.

It appears that the first major air disaster in the U.S. since 2009 has occurred while the Federal Aviation Administration does not have a permanent leader.

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

While that office may be ready to go to work, the FAA itself is not fully on the job. That’s because it’s without an administrator. Michael Whitaker, who had led the administration since Oct., 2023, stepped down earlier this month,

The midair collision at Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night has presented Sean Duffy with a major crisis just hours after he was sworn in as secretary of transportation.